Amongst the Gravestones
by Sanqhian
Summary: Can Booth romance Bones? Can Angela plan a wedding? And will Zack ever find his necklace? Or will a death put a stop to it all?
1. Other Light

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter One: Other Light**

Booth stood outside the Jeffersonian, leaning back against the black SUV he had parked at the curb. He was enjoying the clear blue sky and warming rays of the sun. The city had been wrapped up in rain the last three days. There were still puddles here and there but the sun was up, that's what truly counted. He let his eyes roam over the government building before him that had grown so familiar over the last few years. Even with all the latest changes it was still the place he ran to when he needed scientific help. His job was people, not bones and liquid made of things he didn't really like to dwell on. It was probably a good thing he knew how to handle people. The scientists were a bit lacking on the social front. He blamed it on the chemicals.

For some reason he couldn't bring himself to just stroll into the lab today. With everything changing lately he had this new hope that he could make things work with Bones. He never really gave up on the hope, sometimes it was just more hidden than others. Why he was attracted to the head anthropologist was something he still couldn't figure out. Temperance Brennan was a beautiful woman and could easily have any man she wanted. However, the fact that she was somewhat socially inept drove a lot of people away. He was constantly making references to movies and TV shows that she had no clue about it. Of course, every time she said something using big scientific words he was just as lost. Maybe that's what made it special. Neither one of them was an official know-it-all. They both had their short comings. Now if he could just get Bones to see him as more than a gun toting' FBI agent.

That was his goal. He had made it this morning while lying in bed. He had to at least take the chance. Hell, things had changed so much in the last two months that maybe even Bones had changed. On second thought, he didn't want her to change. He liked that she was about her job, her craft, and a bit daft when it came to people. It gave her a certain charm. Plus, love was in the air.

He wasn't in the least surprised when Hodgins proposed to Angela. He was a bit surprised when she accepted though. Their relationship hadn't started off that good and remained rocky for a long time. Now it was like the two of them were joined at the hip. But he liked that they were happy. Someone had to be. He did have to admit that he was tiny bit sick of hearing about wedding dresses and tuxes. Weddings were big events but they drove people to new, crazier heights. He had never seen Angela act like a school girl. It was unsettling in a way.

Another big change was Zack passing his doctorate and getting a job at the Jeffersonian, making him an official squint. Booth was happy to see the kid letting his hair grow out a little more. The short-haired look just didn't work for him. Well Booth thought he should have been cut loose to learn how to work with others he was secretly happy that the Jeffersonian had kept him. Without him the team would have had a big gaping hole to fill. A hole they never would have been able to fill. Zack was irreplaceable.

Of course, one of the biggest changes was Cami leaving. He still couldn't believe that she had accepted a job working at FBI headquarters in Quantico. But if that's what made her happy, good for her. That had to be the best change the Jeffersonian had undergone. He didn't mind having her around; accept that she caused slight tension between him and Bones. He hated that. He also hated that she kept Bones and the other squints from working their lab they way they were used to. She held them back. It was a good thing that Dr Goodman was back. The lab needed him.

And with Cami out of the way Booth felt like he had an even better chance with Bones. She wouldn't be bugging him about his past relationship with her new boss. Nothing against Dr Goodman, but he just wasn't Booth's taste.

He crossed his arms, letting the sun beat down on his black suit, warming him. Early spring days weren't half bad, as long as the sun was out to help keep away the chill brought on by the light breezes. At some point he would have to go into the lab. He would have to nod a greeting at Dr Goodman, hear Angela's latest wedding plans, and with luck be able to avoid both Hodgins and Zack just to reach Bones; who would most likely be in her office working on her next novel. He wasn't really up for any of it, though. He wanted to stay outside and enjoy the beautiful day. On his way over he had heard the weatherman on the radio proclaim more rain in their near future. He was beginning to feel like he lived in England, or that he should at least grow a pair of gills or webbed feet. At this rate everything was going to flood. He hated floods.

"What are you doing?" Bones asked her voice cutting through his mind and catching him completely off-guard. He hadn't been expecting to see her outside.

"I'm enjoying the day," he replied without bothering to look at her. Looking at her would just make him want her more. It always did.

"How can you be enjoying the day? What is there to enjoy? You're leaning against a slightly dusty car in a crowded city," she observed. "Chances are you got someone's already chewed gum stuck to the bottom of one of your shoes. And if you're here, you have a job. So what exactly are you enjoying? The smell of car exhaust?"

He frowned, but deep down he was smiling. That was the Bones he liked. He finally looked at her, removing his sunglasses so that she could see into his eyes. "Why do you always point out the bad things? Can't you be happy about the sun shining in a clear blue sky instead of being soaked by rain? Come on, even the sun has to make you happy. It makes everyone happy."

"Sun causes cancer. It ages the skin," her voice was serious, carrying with it every hint of scientific backing and facts.

He rolled his eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. With a gentle push he was able to direct her toward the lab, walking side by side. "You need to take a vacation, somewhere with a lot of sun. You'll learn to appreciate it. Maybe go swimming at a beach and stay at a fancy hotel."

It was her turn to frown. He found her frown to be ever so sexy. "You want me to sleep in a hotel room? Do you have any idea what goes on in those rooms? And the only reason you would want me to swim in the ocean is to see me in a swimsuit; which no woman has ever looked good in. No thank you."

At least he had tried. He shrugged. "So what's your idea of a vacation? Holing yourself up in a library with thick volumes of scientific theories?"

She brushed off his question as he held the door open for her. "Why are you here, Booth? You only show up when there's a body involved. And if that's the case, I'd like to get to the bones before some vital piece of evidence is lost."

She waltzed passed him, heading for her office, her arms full of books and folders. He didn't let her see the smile that formed on his lips, waiting until her back was turned. He loved that she was all business. It made the chase more alluring. He would eventually see the non-business side of her. Someday. If she had one.


	2. Complicated Questions

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Complicated Questions**

The two of them stood there, looking at the scene before them. This was the first time both of them had laid eyes on the work at hand, and neither one was happy. The carnage was beyond anything they had worked on for, well; neither of them could remember it had been so long. What lay before them was a sickening pot of soup. All the rain had saturated the ground to the point that water just pooled into various sized puddles. It was no longer mere mud, no, it was beyond that. It was more of a slick soupy muddy mess, something resembling wet paint, dirty wet paint. Booth refused to set foot in it knowing that he would get his suit dirty and he didn't have an extra one back at his office. Even Bones was reluctant to step forward, which was unusual for her. Perhaps it was the sight that lay amongst the mud that unsettled her. They were used to working multiple bodies.

Very rarely did they come across a pile of skeletons.

In this case, he could easily make out four skulls near the top of the pile. There was no telling how many were buried deep within the rest of the bones. Some of the bones were devoid of all flesh, picked clean, while others still had the odd piece of muscle and tissue clinging tightly to them. He was happy that handling the bodies, bones tissue and all was Brennan's job. The idea of touching one of those made him want to throw up, and to be completely honest, he wasn't really willing to see his breakfast again.

"We can't stand here all morning, Bones, get to work," he said, wanting desperately to get back to the real world, as he saw it.

She flashed him a look. "Not without some sort of protective gear. I just know that if I step into that I'm going to slip and fall on my ass. And I don't care how healthy mud is for the skin; I'm not up to being covered in it. We'll just have to wait until Zack shows up with the rest of my equipment."

A chill ran down his spine. He looked around, thinking how quiet and lonely it was out here. The presence of the bones just made it worse. They were in the middle of nowhere. They'd left the nearest town behind about an hour ago. All that was around were trees and open fields. And lots of mud. He massaged the back of his neck. When he got back to the office he was going to have a nasty word or two with the local police and his own boss. He had been told that an officer was posted to watch the gruesome pile of bones. There hadn't been a soul present when they arrived. There wasn't even any crime scene tape around the perimeter. How were they to know whether or not someone messed with their evidence? The mud was no help. He could easily see that it was too soupy; the water erased the footprints almost immediately.

"Why is there a pile of bones out here?" Bones asked him. "There isn't a living soul around."

He tried not to roll his eyes. "Criminals have a tendency to bury their murder victims away from civilization in hopes that they won't be caught. Chances are this is some mass grave for a serial killer. And even a mob grave. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was both."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Did you see the last town that we rolled through? You honestly expect me to think that they have a mob problem? Their gas station had one pump, Booth. What kind of money could a mobster possibly make back there? A buck fifty an hour?"

"You never know," he shrugged. "Look, can you just start collecting up the bones? It's creepy out here."

"Big bad FBI boy afraid of open spaces?" she asked him, obviously making fun of him.

"It has nothing to do with open spaces," he replied, putting his hands on his hips. He gave the open fields around them another quick sweep. The grass was easily tall enough to conceal a crouched human being. "Haven't you noticed that there aren't any sounds out here? We're surrounded by nature and I have yet to hear a single bird tweet one damned syllable. It's not natural. Something about this place is wrong."

She let her eyes travel over the expanse of the waving brown grass. It wasn't late enough in the year for it to be green yet. A feeling of unease began to settle in as she imagined gun-wielding maniacs watching them from the cover of the grass. After all, someone knew these bones were here. Someone put them here. Someone killed these people. And she wasn't sure she wanted to know who. Or at least, she knew she didn't want to meet them out here with only the SUV for protection. Bullets shattered windows; they popped tires, and dented metal. The SUV was no form of protection whatsoever. She wanted to return to the safety of her lab. Where was Zack? She had called him nearly an hour ago. Sure, the drive was long but he should have been here, shouldn't he?

"Enough waiting," she declared taking a tentative step forward. "You're right, it's creepy out here. I want to get these things collected and get the hell out of here."

He took hold of her left arm and offered her support as she stepped into the liquid mess. He wasn't happy to see that he was right. Her footprints were quickly erased by the water. When she got to a certain point he had to let her go and follow her in, she let him go first, making his choice easier. There was only one step between her and the pile of bones. With her arms out like a tightrope walker she placed her right foot forward. A hawk screamed overhead, making them both jump, the silence suddenly shattered. After a moment they both giggled at their own jumpiness. She took the last step, placing her left foot beside her right.

A shot rang out. Echoing in the open air.

Booth felt his heart stop as Bones fell to the ground.


	3. Stay in Shadow

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Stay in Shadow**

"Bones," he yelled, nearly charging into the mud, forgetting about his suit and the cleaning bill. But then he saw her move, dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

"I'm fine," she explained, as she climbed to her feet. Her back end was covered in mud. "The sound of gunfire scared me and I slipped. And now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get the hell out of here before I end up like one of those guys," she exclaimed, pointing at the skeletons.

She fought her way back through the soupy mud at a good clip, receiving help from Booth when she was within reach. A second gunshot rang through the air as he grabbed hold of her wrists and pulled her into an embrace. Then they were both quickly ducking behind the SUV for protection. Bones kept thinking about bullets flying under the car and through the windows. When had she become Miss Doom and Gloom? She wasn't one to run and hide; she had always been the type to stay for the fight. Lately though, lately she had been feeling vulnerable. Why, she hadn't yet figured out. It was a feeling she rarely felt. In fact, the last time she could remember feeling that way was when her parents died. The first time.

Another shot sounded. A hawk, the same one that had flown overhead previously, fell from the sky a few feet away from them. They both stood motionlessly as the silence began to settle once again. booth whipped out his cell phone, barking orders to someone on the other end, demanding for immediate back-up, preferably by helicopter, since it would be faster. As he slipped the phone back into his pocket they both watched a man emerge from the grass. He was wearing camouflage from head to toe and carrying a rifle in one hand. He approached the bird, a grim expression on his face.

Bones leaned over to the Booth and whispered in his ear. "Isn't it illegal to kill those birds? I though they were a protected species?"

"It's just a bird," he muttered back, praying the gunman wouldn't see them.

So much for that. Bones stood on her tiptoes, straining to get a better view of the now dead bird. "That's a falcon," she pointed out. "They're endangered. That man just committed a Federal crime. Arrest him, like you're supposed to."

"That man has a really big gun," he replied.

She gave Booth a little shove toward the man, who still hadn't noticed them. "What if he knows something about our bones? You can't let him get away, and since you don't allow me to carry a gun you'll have to apprehend him. Not me."

"Fine," he relented, knowing that she was right. He left the safety of the vehicle behind; making sure that his gun was ready, aimed at the rifle carrying hunter. "Drop your gun," he yelled in an authoritive voice. "Put it on the ground and step away from it."

The gunman's head snapped up as Booth's words were carried to him on a gentle breeze. He was startled to see anyone else around. He didn't drop his rifle. He didn't move. He stood there by the dead bird trying to figure out his next move.

"Sir, put the gun down," ordered Booth. "I'm an FBI agent. Don't make me shoot you."

The man's eyebrows shot up in surprise. His grip on his rifle tightened, his knuckles turning white. A thrumming sound could be heard in the distance. Brennan turned her attention in the direction she knew the city was. There was a dirt cloud as a vehicle approached them. Most likely Zack finally showing up, and at a bad time too. The thrumming she heard was from a helicopter that was advancing on them at a rather fast pace. Back up was already within range. It was amazing what the FBI could do with a single phone call. She loved watching Booth in action. Apparently Booth had also heard the thrumming of the approaching helicopter.

"Come on buddy, just put the gun down," he tried to coerce. "Right now you want to co-operate with me, not against me. You've just stumbled across a crime scene. Don't make things worse for yourself."

The man let his eyes take in the sight of the helicopter as it swung over the group before turning around to hover momentarily. Booth knew they wouldn't land unless he gave them the sign. If anyone looked close enough they would notice the sniper concealed in the black bulk of the looming machinery, ready to fire if necessary.

"That's a Federal helicopter. I can send them away. All you have to do is put down your gun," ordered Booth. Brennan could tell that he was feeling jumpy and uneasy. Even though he was a former sniper guns clearly put him on edge. Maybe it was because she was in range. And he would never forgive himself if he let her get hurt. The crunch of pebbles under tires drew ever nearer as Zack drove closer to the scene. He didn't seem at all bothered by the presence of the helicopter, probably thinking it was some special procedure.

The man slowly lowered the gun to the ground and backed away from it and the bird. Slowly, so as not to miss any movements on the hunter, Booth crept close to take the gun out of reach. Time passed slowly as he moved. Eventually he grabbed the rifle and stepped back, relaxing now that he had the gun in hand. With the ease of training he was able to empty the remaining bullet without firing the gun and with only one hand. He waved at the pilot of the helicopter, letting him know that he was now free to go. The situation was under control. As the helicopter flew away Zack finally pulled up on the scene. Brennan had come out from hiding behind the SUV and was walking toward Booth.

"You do know that I'm going to have to arrest?" Booth asked as much as he stated.

"Why?" the man wanted to know.

"Poaching," Booth nodded toward the dead falcon. "That's a protected species. You can't kill them."

The man frowned. "Well you guys are trespassing on my property. That's against the law. And if you hadn't been trespassing you wouldn't have seen me shoot that damned bird; which has been raiding my chicken house for a month now. It was a pest."

"This is your property?" Bones questioned. "May I ask why you have a large pile of bones on your property, Mr…?"

"You don't need to know my name," the man barked at her, clearly mad that he was being arrested. "And those bones belong to my family members."


	4. Good Times

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Good Times**

A waitress brought them their drinks as their conversation died down momentarily. They never talked about their work when other people were around within hearing range. It usually upset them, visibly. Brennan looked around the table at each person present and couldn't believe everything that had happened in the last few months. She would be lying if she told anyone she missed Cami. Now that Dr Goodman was back things in the lab had returned to normal. She liked being able to do experiments with her team members without having to worry about repercussions from her boss. And having Zack as an official member of the crew was truly wonderful. She had not been looking forward to breaking in a new recruit. Then there was the issue of Angela and Hodgins. She was happy that both of them were happy with each other. But she never quite understood the office romance thing. Hell, she barely understood romance.

The waitress departed and Zack, who was stirring his soda with his straw, looked at Booth and then at his mentor. "If that's what it's usually like at a scene with you guys, please count me out next time. I don't like the whole gun pointing issue."

Hodgins smiled that mischievous grin they'd all come to know so well. "I can't believe that guy's family was buried on his property. Haven't they ever heard of cemeteries and tombstones? I thought mass graves happened in other countries, usually around the time of wars."

Booth shrugged. "He said they couldn't afford the funerals and that it was just cheaper to bury the bodies in one of their fields. They buried them all in the same spot so they knew where to go every time. Of course, they weren't aware of the fact that it's slightly illegal. I told the officers to go easy on him but there's no telling what will happen now."

"I'm just happy that we didn't have to identify all those bodies," spoke Angela as she played with one of her earrings. "We'd all still be at work and I like when we get the rare opportunity to go out like this. It's nice."

Dr Goodman picked that moment to stand from the table, his glass in hand. "I propose a toast to friends. To new beginnings and lifelong health."

"I can drink to that," Booth smiled, raising his own glass.

"Hear, hear," Hodgins proclaimed. They all downed a sip or two.

From there the conversation went in various directions. Zack turned to Dr Goodman and the two began discussing the equipment the lab used and possible upgrades or additions. Hodgins was listening to Angela explain something about the wedding decorations. That left Booth with only Bones as a conversational partner, and he didn't care in the least. For the last hour he had been trying to think of something, anything to say to her that would make her aware of his intentions. Every phrase that passed through his mind sounded like a bad pick-up line or just really cheesy. When it came to his exes he always knew what to say, so why didn't it work that way with Brennan?

Lost in thought he hadn't realized that Brennan had said something to him. She was now giving him a somewhat unhappy look. "Sorry," he apologized, "what was that? I was just thinking about earlier today."

"I asked if you were free tomorrow," she replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

No woman liked to be ignored, including Bones. "I have to work the regular hours and there's no telling what kind of cases will come my way. Why do you ask, got something you want to do with me?"

"I need a ride somewhere and I think it would be best to have some sort of male back-up," she told him, sipping her mixed drink casually.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're asking me to be your bodyguard? You? The big bad woman who can take a man down in less than ten seconds? What, may I ask, are you doing that you need my help?" He realized instantly that something he had said triggered a button in Brennan's mind. She had that scientist look on her face that meant she was about to lecture him over something factual.

"Everyone has a moment of weakness, Booth. All humans are programmed to feel fear," she explained seriously. "Even men feel fear at times. Humans are animals and as most animals know, there is safety in numbers. If you don't want to come then I will find someone else."

"No, I'd be happy to be your back-up. It would be a lot safer than giving you a gun," he joked with a smile. She just rolled her eyes. "So where are we going?"

"You'll see tomorrow," was all that she had to say to him.

He didn't really remember where the night went from there. He kept thinking of ways to get what he wanted from Bones without completely pissing her off. That was definitely not going to be a small task. They were always arguing over religion and dead bodies and his constant references to pop culture. He wanted her to take him seriously for once and not just because the situation called for it. This wasn't some hold-up at a bank and a bomb threat in a school; this was putting his heart out on his sleeve. It was more dangerous. He risked losing everything. And he wasn't really sure he wanted to do that.

Sometime around eleven they all mutually decided to call it quits. As they were walking to their various cars Booth saw that Dr Goodman wasn't walking too well. One too many alcoholic drinks. He couldn't let the man drive himself home and risk crashing his car or hurting someone else. Goodman had drive Bones to the location so there was the option of her getting his keys and driving them both home. However, Booth noticed that she too was a bit tipsy. How many drinks did she have?

He stopped Dr Goodman. "Give me your keys. You're too drunk to drive home."

"Bones can drive." At least, that's what it sounded like the older man said. His words were slurring together. To Booth it sounded something more along the lines of "bone skin rive".

Booth shook his head. "No can do. Neither one of you is fit to get behind that wheel. Now come on, hand over the keys and get in the back seat." He reached into his own pockets and produced the keys to his SUV. He threw them to a surprised Zack. "Take it home with you. But I want it back tomorrow. Got it?"

Zack nodded before disappearing into the dark shadows of the parking lot. Hodgins and Angela were already long gone. After much fumbling Dr Goodman finally came up with the keys to his car. He handed them to Booth in an ungraceful manor as he swayed on his feet. There was no doubt in Booth's mind that the good doctor was going to wake up his entire household when he walked through the front door. That, however, was not Booth's problem. He was doing his good deed in getting them both home safely. Unfortunately it took him another fifteen minutes to get them both into the car. The doctor kept insisting that he was okay enough to drive. Booth finally got him in the backseat and climbed behind the wheel. He knew, as he turned the key in the ignition, that it was going to be a long drive when Dr Goodman began talking nonsense in the back seat. Bones fell asleep before they even left the parking lot. So much for asking her out tonight. It would have to wait until tomorrow.


	5. Absent Elements

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Absent Elements**

Just as he predicted Dr Goodman's wife wasn't too happy about being awakened because of her drunken husband. She was, however, happy that Booth had taken the incentive to drive the poor inebriate man home. She also didn't mind that Booth was taking the car to drop Bones off at her apartment. Dr Goodman could just take a cab in the morning, or so his wife said as she dragged the stumbling fool into the house, bidding Booth goodbye. Back in the car he found that Brennan was now awake and staring out the window. Her eyes were still a bit glassy from the alcohol in her system. He found himself thinking that it was weird she would allow herself to get drunk. In the years that he'd known her he had never seen have more than one or two drinks. And the beer in the fridge at her place couldn't get a kid buzzed. Maybe there was something on her mind and she figured drinking was some way of getting rid of it. He hated people that did things like that. But he wasn't game enough to bring up the question of her alcohol intake. It was her body and she most likely had her reasons.

The drive to her house was silent. He had turned off the radio back at the restaurant when she'd fallen asleep and saw no reason to turn it on now. Though she was awake she didn't bother saying anything to him. She just kept her eyes turned toward the passenger window, watching the lit city roll by out her window. He made it to her place in record time thanks to light traffic. She was able to walk to her apartment building without his help and they stood quietly side by side in the elevator. He probably didn't need to go up with her but he knew that he'd sleep better knowing for a fact that she'd made it to her apartment and was safely inside. They continued their silent venture as they walked down the hallway to the closed door. She slipped a key into the lock and turned it. They both heard the click. She opened the door and stepped inside. Booth was about to say goodnight when she turned to look at him.

She grabbed a hold of his jacket, pulling him toward her. At first he wasn't quite sure what she was doing but when he felt her lips on his he had a pretty good idea. He had always wanted to kiss her. He had spent sleepless nights wondering what it would be like. And though it was wonderful there was something missing. It wasn't quite as he had imagined. Maybe it was the alcohol on her breath that made it all wrong. He felt her hands tugging on his shirt freeing it from his pants where it had been tucked in. his mother had raised him to be a gentleman. As much as he wanted to make Brennan his this was wrong. He wanted her to do it because she felt the same way, not because she was under the influence of alcohol.

He gently pushed her away, making sure to keep a hold of her shoulders in case the momentum was too much. He didn't want her to stumble and fall back. She looked at him with wide eyes.

He shook his head. "You're drunk. You need to go to bed. Go sleep off the alcohol. I'll see you at the lab tomorrow. We can head out to wherever it is that you need to be. Good night, Bones," he said as he closed the door.

He stood in the hallway, his forehead pressed against the wood of the door, his hand still on the cool metal doorknob. What had he just done? How long he had been wishing for that exact moment and he had gone and pushed her away. It was the right thing to do, he assured himself. She would have only regretted it in the morning. He didn't want her to regret anything. On the drive back to his apartment he kept all the windows down. The cold spring night air had the same effect as a cold shower. When he reached his place it was well after midnight and nearly the early hours of morning. He was going to be dog tired when his alarm went off in the morning.

The light on his answering machine was blinking in the darkness of his apartment. He flipped on a light, throwing his keys on the nearest surface. Come morning he would rush around looking for them. He slipped out of his shoes and threw his jacket on the chair. Tomorrow night, or maybe this weekend, he was going to have to clean his place. Since he rarely spent any time at home things didn't get done as often as they should. But no one would catch him complaining. He loved his job. He loved every minute of it. Especially when he got to work alongside Bones. He trusted her more than any other person he knew. Including his own fellow agents. The scientist was always there to back him up and offer advice, even if he didn't understand it half the time.

Undoing his tie and the first few buttons on his shirt he pressed the button on his answering machine. The first two messages weren't of any interest. The third and final one was from Cami. His heart began to beat faster involuntarily. He hated the way he reacted to the sound of her voice. By now he should have been over her. She spoke of seeing him, wanting to pick up where they left on now that she was no longer working in the same place. Of course, that was going to be hard because she was now in another state, though not too far away. He wasn't pleased with the idea of seeing her. She was going to be in town for lunch tomorrow and hoped that he would meet her. He hit the erase button and listened to the machine as the messages were erased. He was busy tomorrow. He had already made plans with Bones. Cami was in the past. They had their turn, he was moving on. It was time for something new. He flipped off the light and headed for his bedroom, thinking of only one thing. Brennan.


	6. Thousand Mile Wish

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Thousand Mile Wish**

He parked the big federally owned SUV in front of the store in dismay. Bones had met him early in the morning with a grin that gave him chills. He knew instantly that she was up to no good. She gave him the address for their location but never told him exactly where they were going. Neither one of them brought up the kiss from last night. Chances were, Bones didn't even remember kissing him. He was fine with that. For now. He wanted her to remember their kiss as something positive, not something bad. Now he was sitting outside a quaint little white store trying to figure out why he was here and how Bones had tricked him into this.

"Why are we here? I told them that I had a tuxedo for the wedding. I don't want to try on suits today," he said, sounding somewhat winy. "I can't believe you tricked me into coming here. I though you needed a bodyguard."

She smiled at him. "I do need a bodyguard. This whole wedding has Angela going crazy and I'm afraid to see what sort of dresses I'm going to have to try on for her. And I'm sorry I tricked you but Hodgins wanted you here to try the tuxedos and well, he asked me to get you here. Sorry that I had to trick you but I knew that if I told you the truth you would run."

"Got that right," he said as he climbed out of the car, making sure to lock the doors when they were both on the sidewalk. "Good thing I told my boss I was helping the lab with stuff today. He wouldn't be too happy to pay me for time off if he found out I was here trying on clothes I don't need."

"Oh, no one has a day off today," she explained, walking toward the store entrance. "I don't know about you but the rest of us are still on call. That's why we're here so early. Dr Goodman okayed the decision to let us go."

"Couldn't they have done this on a weekend?" he asked as he stepped into the perfumed air of the bridal store. Right now he wanted to be anywhere in the world but where he was at that present moment. He wasn't looking forward to trying on various tuxedos to please Hodgins. Knowing Hodgins, there were going to be styles picked out just to humiliate Booth; especially since chances like this didn't come around all the time.

"I guess this was the only time they could fit her in. It's spring," replied Bones as she left her belongs with his jacket and Angela and Hodgins stuff. "A lot of people get married in the spring. Something about love being in the air."

He chuckled as she rolled her eyes before walking farther into the place. Dresses were hung here and there, organized by size. Some of the dresses were displayed on mannequins. He saw some tuxedos but not as many as he was expecting. That all changed when the entered the room where the others were waiting. A better view of the store showed him that there were many hideous suits that Hodgins could stick him in. Angela jumped up from the chair she was sitting in and rushed forward to give Brennan a hug. The wedding was actually going to be a small affair. Brennan, of course, was the maid of honor. Angela didn't want any bridesmaids. Hodgins was going to ask Zack to be his best man but when Zack nearly had a panic attack over the idea he had turned to Booth. However, Zack was still there with them. He looked a bit sheepish and completely out of his element. Zack was a man that lived for his science. Much like Brennan.

"Let me make this perfectly clear," Booth started to explain. "I do not want to wear some retro baby blue suit. I don't do pink. And you won't catch me wearing suspenders unless I'm undercover. Got it?"

"Well now you're just taking all the fun out of it," smiled Hodgins from the corner where he was leaning against the wall.

"Can we just get this underway? I have things I should really be doing at the lab," protested Zack.

Brennan and Booth were handed their first set of outfits to try on. While he was looking forward to getting a glimpse of Bones in some nice revealing dresses he wasn't too pleased with the suits he had been given. He also wasn't too pleased with being paraded around like some model. He was an FBI agent for crying out loud. Not a Ken doll. Cami's message from the night before came back to him. he could use the excuse of a lunch date as a way to get away. but not only would he be stranding Bones, he would be leaving her with a curious mind as to who he was seeing. He didn't need her pressing into his business. The mention of Cami would make her upset. Plus, he didn't really want to see his old flame. He wanted to get beyond Cami. Now it was time to focus solely on Brennan. And what better way to show her what a great man he was than by dealing with this atrocity?

The first few hours went by quickly. Booth was happy to escape wearing the dreaded baby blue tuxedo and there wasn't any pink in sight. One tux had suspenders but he refused to try it on. Hodgins found a pinstripe suit that came with a fedora and instantly wanted to do a whole forties, big mobster themed wedding. The idea was appealing to Booth. He liked the look of the suit. However, Angela quickly put an end to that saying that she was not going to find a wedding dress to fit the theme, and that she was not going to marry a mobster. Bones tried on dressed in so many styles that she eventually got tired and was nearly dead on her feet by the time noon rolled around. At that point Angela decided that it would be more fun to fit Zack into a suit. The poor kid nearly had heart failure at the mere mention of it.

That's when Booth opted to step in. "I think we should at least break for lunch. Can't we eat before we play dress-up with Zacky?"


	7. Conversations

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Conversations**

They opted to have a late lunch at a small café just down the road, within walking distance. The place was small and quaint. The building was one story white brick set back from the road. Patrons had to walk down a gravel path to reach the front door. Japanese Cherry Blossoms that had been planted along the sidewalk to hide the building somewhat were getting ready to bloom. Other flowering trees and bushes were planted along the buildings border giving the place a country feel, whisking the patrons away from the city for a short while. Booth found that he actually liked the place. He made a note to remember the address so that he could come back. Maybe with Bones on a date. They ordered their lunches and took them outside to sit at one of the tables. Even though the day had started off on a bad note, as far as Booth was concerned, this was a definite improvement.

"I can't wait to get your dress picked out," Angela said to Brennan before taking a bite of her sandwich. "And once we find a tux for Booth I can cross another thing off my list. But there's still the need for flowers and a caterer and a photographer and so many other things. I don't think I'm ever going to have time to get it all done."

Booth shrugged. "You never know, Ang, this year has been pretty quiet. We've gone to how many crime scenes, ten? And it's going to be May here before too long. If this trend keeps up I think you'll have more than enough time to get everything done."

"I hope the trend doesn't keep up," Zack interrupted. "I'm getting tired of Hodgins' little games. I am really not a fan of the Identify the Smell game. That one has to be the worst."

"Oh, come on, man," protested Hodgins with a wicked smile. "You know you like hanging out around the lab with me. Now that you have your doctorate you have more free time. I keep inviting you to play online games with me but you refuse."

"I'm a scientist," Zack declared somewhat meekly. It wasn't a convincing argument.

"I, for one, am happy that it's been slow," Brennan admitted, taking everyone by surprise. "I have to finish my latest novel by the end of May and it's not even half way done. As much as I love my job I'd really like to get my novel done so as to not piss off my agent. It would also give me peace of mind."

"You know it's not going to stay this slow, right?" Hodgins butted in, ruining the cheerful mood that had begun to settle over them. "I mean, think about it, every time we feel like we're getting a break something comes along to ruin it. I think the universe finds it funny to ruin our plans. That's why I never set anything in stone, man. It's just a waste of time. Hell, we could all die tomorrow."

Angela punched him in the shoulder and he feigned being hurt. "Shut up, or I'll make you wish you were dead."

The conversation died down as they quietly ate their lunches and contemplated the dangers of their jobs. There was a risk of dying every single day. Especially in Booth's case. How many times had he been held at gunpoint or shot at? Hanging out with the Squints was definitely not a safe job, either. The chemicals they used were dangerous if spilled and they were known to work with diseased bodies. Lest they all should forget spending Christmas locked in the lab because of a potential hazard. That had been a particularly fun time. So fun in fact that Booth wasn't looking forward to ever having to do it again. Ever.

Angela checked her watch. "We should probably get back to the shop. Hodgins was able to book it for quite a long time but I would like to get this done as soon as possible."

They threw away their trash and began the walk back to the bridal boutique. The girls began to chat about non-sense things related to the wedding and Zack was talking to Hodgins about something scientific so Booth zoned out. The first thing that popped into his mind was Cami and what she was doing. He didn't really care but he did feel slightly bad for standing her up, not that they'd actually made any sort of date. After all, he never did call her back. And he had to stop thinking about her. It would be nice to have her as a friend someday. However, he learned that it was hard to be friends with his exes. Right now he needed to focus on Brennan, if he had any hope of getting her to at least go on one date with him. If she even dated.

Back at the bridal boutique they picked up right where they left off. It was back into the various dressed for Brennan and yet more tuxes were thrust upon Booth. Even Zack got to join in the fun. He didn't seem to have anything to say about any of the tuxes he was forced to wear. Now Booth knew why he was there; the kid didn't know anything about proper wedding attire. Booth just shook his head. Scientists, the studied the real world but knew little about living in it. Eventually Angela settled on a dress for Bones. It was a lovely shade of teal with a low neck-line and sweeping lower half. It complemented Brennan's figure in a very flattering way. Booth tried not to look at her too much, knowing full well that if he did it would arouse him. He was lucky to get away with a normal black tux with a vest two shades darker than Brennan's dress. Hodgins thought it funny to give Zack the same suit but with the added touch of a hot pink bowtie. Booth felt sorry for the poor kid.

The women went to the counter the get the order for the dress and both tuxes placed and to pay a deposit. Zack was looking more comfortable in his own clothes and Hodgins was fiddling with some small electronic device that Booth couldn't identify. He looked at the two scientists and realized that he didn't know much about either one of them. Perhaps he should make an effort to really get to know them. After all, they were a big part of Brennan's life and he wanted to be the man in her life. He should get along with her friends. But could he really make friends with Squints? He was about to suggest the three of them go out for a drink some night when his cell phone rang. Both of them looked at him momentarily before returning to their own thoughts.

He hung up at the exact moment the girls returned. He was frowning. "Bones, gather your things, we got work. The rest of you should probably head back to the lab; chances are Dr Goodman will be calling soon. Looks like today's slump is over. Back to the grindstone."

They bid goodbye to Zack and Angela and Hodgins. When it was just the two of them Booth thought of asking Bones what she was doing for the night but realized that it would be a stupid question. She was going to have a body to work over and he knew that it would keep her at the lab late into the night. He was going to have to wait until another time. Again. Was he ever going to get the chance to ask her out? Or the nerve?


	8. Last Scene of Struggling

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Last Scene of Struggling**

About twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of a seedy looking apartment building. The bricks were covered with dead vines and the walkway leading to the front door was cracked in so many places it looked like a jigsaw puzzle. Brennan stuck close to Booth as they walked toward the door. He kept his hand resting on his pistol in its holster, probably trying to look nonchalant about it and failing miserably. There was a cop car parked along the curb but the officer who should have been with it was nowhere in sight. Somewhere in the distance a dog began barking. A car backfired. But the no sounds came from the building in front of them. Had either one of them been bold enough to speak they would have learned they were both thinking of the same thing; the creepy pile of bones in the middle of silent fields. Here they were, in the middle of a bustling city and it was as quiet as a country lane. Where was the uniformed officer?

They reached the door to the apartment and found it opened easily. There was no lock, no buzzer system. Anybody could freely waltz into the place without a worry. Bones would never be caught living in an unsecured building. She knew what kind of maniacs lived within the city walls and she didn't like taking chances with her own safety. At least not while she was at home. That was her domain, her safety zone, aside from the lab, of course. Booth pushed the door open slowly. The floor of the hallway matched the walkway, cracked and old. The wallpaper on the walls had gone yellow with age and was slowly peeling off; in some places it was already completely gone.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Bones asked in a hushed voice. She was eyeing the set of stairs against the right wall. They didn't look safe and the railing looked like it would give with the slightest caress of a gentle breeze.

"Upstairs, room two-ten," Booth answered. Something about the building had made him uncomfortable. Bones could tell he was on full alert. His eyes were darting here and there taking in everything and anything. He had slowly pulled the handgun from his holster, cocking the hammer but keeping it pointed toward the ground. She didn't like it when Booth felt uneasy. He was a former sniper; he was used to life and death situations.

"Those stairs don't look safe," she commented, pointing out the obvious.

He looked back over his shoulder at her. "I know but something about this place gives me a bad feeling. After all, where's the officer that belongs to that patrol car? Why wasn't he waiting for us outside? Why hasn't he come to greet us?"

"You don't think that something bad happened to him, do you?" she asked, her eyebrows going up in surprise, her voice sounding a bit scared.

"In this place, I wouldn't be surprised," he commented. "It looks like a prime location for crack whores and drug addicts. Not a safe place for a cop to be walking around by himself."

"Up we go then, I guess," she sighed. She really wasn't looking forward to walk up the rickety staircase. What if the wood was old and it gave out under their weight? They would sustain lacerations and bruises, maybe a broken bone and a concussion. She really didn't want to end up in the hospital. That had been her New Year's resolution, to stay out of the hospital and out of trouble. She'd already lost out on the staying out of trouble bit, but there was still a chance she could avoid the hospital.

Booth placed a tentative foot on the bottom step. When he stepped up onto it the wood creaked and groaned, but held. He began to slowly make his way up the rest of the steps. Bones waited until he was a few steps ahead before starting the ascension herself. As predicted, when she reached for the rail it was wobbly and unsafe. She decided it would be better to keep hands at her sides. They made it safely to the top floor only to find it as dead as the bottom. Did anyone live in this hell hole? And where was the officer?

"Maybe we should call out to the guy, see where he his," suggested Bones. She was hugging herself and looking around the empty hallway filled with closed doors that could hold any number of potential dangers. "After all, we don't want him to shoot at us or something."

"Normally, I would agree with you," Booth replied in a voice as equally hushed. "But if there's someone still in this building I don't want to alert them to our presence."

"Oh," she said in dismay. "Well, where is this apartment we need to be at? I'd like to get the hell out of here and back to my lab."

"I wouldn't mind going back to the lab either," admitted Booth. He looked at two of the apartment doors. "I'm guessing our best chances would be that way." He pointed toward the hallway that branched left.

She was more then happy to let him lead the way, staying close on his heels. Very rarely did she get a bad feeling about a place. And this time it didn't help that Booth was feeling the same way. He was the one with the gun, after all. Every door they walked back she expected to fly open and have some maniac jump out at them like some twisted haunted carnival mansion. None of the doors budged. At the end of the short hallway there was a gap in the right side of the wall, a gap where a door should have stood. As they crept closer they saw that the door was hanging open, allowing anyone access to the apartment inside. Booth looked back over his shoulder to give her a warning that said she needed to drop back a step or two until he cleared the entry way.

He turned the corner, his gun out in front of him. "Oh shit," he mumbled. "Call an ambulance," he called back to Bones. She tore her cell phone from her pocket, following Booth into the apartment. The place was one big room. Aside from a bathroom off to the side and the kitchen, which was separated from the main room by a low counter, there was only the one large room. It was meant to function as a bedroom/dining room/living room all in one. Lying on the littered floor in the middle of the room was a dead, partially decomposed body. The officer they had been searching for lay slumped in the entryway, an ugly bruise forming around his neck.

Booth put two fingers to the man's throat to see if there was a pulse. Judging by the sigh he let out the officer was still alive. Bones quickly relayed the information to the nine-one-one operator, who assured her that an ambulance was on the way. She hung up her phone and put it back in her pocket. "Someone was here. He fought with someone. Look at the scratches on his arms and I think he's going to get a black eye. There might be evidence under his nails, the paramedics need to make sure they collect it and get it back to the lab."

Booth looked at her. "Whoever fought with him took his service weapon. His gun is missing. It's not in the holster and I don't see it anywhere in the junk on the floor."

"Why would someone steal an officer's gun?" Bones asked, knowing she didn't really want to hear the answer.

"A better question would be what wouldn't they steal the gun," Booth corrected her. He got up to walk around the apartment, shifting the various pieces of trash with his foot probably hoping to find the gun. "The thief could use it to kill someone. Ballistics will show that the gun is registered to that officer instead of giving us a potential suspect. And by the time we get a potential suspect, the murder could very well be in another country. The sooner we find that gun, the better off we'll be."

"How hard can it be to find one gun in this city?" Bones half joked. Neither one of them really thought it was funny.


	9. Panic Attack

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Panic Attack**

_Meanwhile, back at the Jeffersonian…._

Angela was flipping through a bridal magazine while she waited for Booth and Brennan to return with the body for processing. She had left Hodgins and Zack alone to do whatever they wanted to, knowing full well that Zack wasn't going to be happy. Dr Goodman had called them when they were five minutes away from the lab. He was happy to hear that they were on their way back and that Brennan was on her way to the scene. Angela liked that Dr Goodman was back. She had missed him terribly. Cami just never seemed to fit in. She wouldn't let the guys run their experiments and she made Angela jumpy, always afraid that she would get fired because her work wasn't as important as everyone else's. Now that Dr Goodman was back she knew that her job was secure. He thought her part was important, after all, she gave faces to people that usually didn't have one. Without her it would take the team longer to identify their victims.

She flipped to another page and found herself looking at a list of bachelorette party ideas. As she began to read down the list she heard an unusual sound coming from another part of the lab. It was a mix between a squeal and a cry of anguish. Probably from poor Zack. No doubt Hodgins was torturing the younger man in some way he thought was funny. She'd have to remember to keep them apart at the wedding. She didn't mind that Hodgins felt a need to play tricks on others or that he needed to feel slightly superior when it came to anyone but her or Brennan. But there was no way she was going to put up with his antics on her wedding day. And if he thought otherwise, he had another thing coming.

She was crossing things off the list of ideas when Zack came running into the room with a panicked look on his face. He began pushing stacks of paper off tables and onto the floors. He knocked over an empty container. It fell to the floor where it cracked but did not shatter.

"Zack," Hodgins said as he came breezing into the room a minute later. "Would you chill out? I'm sure it's not the end of the world."

"What did you do now, Hodgins?" Angela asked, closing the magazine. She stood, placing it on the chair she had just been sitting in.

He looked at her with a half smile. "I didn't do anything, honestly. We were just talking when I brought up jewelry, discussing the wedding rings. Zack said something about a necklace and I asked if I could see it. That's when he totally lost it."

"Why?" Angela asked, looking at Zack.

"Because I lost it," the younger man said. His eyes were wide in panic. He was even breathing a bit heavier.

"Lost what, hun?" she asked, walking to him and placing an arm around his shoulder in attempt to add comfort.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you guys," he looked at the floor. "But the day after I got hired here Dr Brennan gave me a gift. It was a necklace. She said it was special. I promised myself that I would never let it out of my sight and have been wearing it every day since. Now it's gone. I lost and Dr Brennan is going to be mad at me."

Hodgins tried not to laugh and barely succeeded. "It's just a necklace, man. She isn't going to care one way or the other."

"I don't know," Angela mused slowly. "She didn't buy gifts for us. And I bet Booth talked her into it." She turned to Zack. "When did you last see it?"

"I had it on this morning and I was sure I had it when we went to lunch," he recalled. Then he shot an angry look at Hodgins. "All those damn suits you made me try on; it probably got caught on one of them or came loose."

"Well there you go," Hodgins shrugged. "It's back at the bridal boutique. We can swing back tonight on our way home or get it tomorrow before we get to work."

"I hope it's there," Zack prayed aloud. He was wringing his hands together.

"Hope what's where?" Booth asked, walking into the room. He looked tired and worn out.

"Nothing," all three of them said at the same time. Booth cocked an eyebrow, giving them all a confused look.

He shook his head. "Look, Brennan needs all hands on deck. I want as much information on the evidence that you can give me as soon as possible. Got it?"

They began to file out of the room. "Is the body somebody important? Is this going to be high profile?" Hodgins wanted to know.

"A cop was attacked, that's all you need to know," Booth answered, going all serious FBI man on them. They took the hint, leaving the room behind to get their orders from Brennan.

They got to work as soon as they were told what was what. Booth hung around, trying not to make them feel watched over. He wanted to know the answers as soon as they came in. the hours ticked by and night fell fast. Still, there was nothing for them to go on. The scrapings from underneath the officer's nails yielded nothing but the dirt and grime of daily routine. Hairs found on the officer's body proved to be canine, not human. Every test led them farther away from a suspect. It was beginning to piss Booth off. Brennan directed the team to look at the half decomposed body. They learned in an hour that the body belonged to a young Caucasian woman somewhere between the ages of fifteen and twenty-two.

When the clock chimed the hour of eleven Brennan told everyone to go home. Booth tried to convince her that it was important they continue on. She told him point blank that tired scientist weren't going to get him the answers he wanted. In the end the Squints got to go home. Zack had momentarily forgotten about his necklace until they drove passed the bridal boutique. He began to panic all over again and made Hodgins promise that they would stop there in the morning. Only when Hodgins made the promise did Zack settle down quietly in the back seat. If either one of them had been paying attention they would have seen the ghost of a smile on Angela's lips.


	10. Therapy

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Therapy**

When Booth returned home he found another message from Cami on his answering machine. He listened to it. She sounded disappointed in not seeing him but never brought it up. She went on to tell him things he didn't really care to hear before asking him to again meet her for lunch somewhere. Like before he erased the message. However, he had taken down the address of the restaurant she said she'd be dining at the following day. Things weren't working out with Bones and he needed some sort of release. Was he really going to run to Cami, though? Again? His New Year's resolution had been to hook-up with Bones one way or another, not with Cami. He crumbled the paper into a little ball before throwing it into the trashcan in his kitchen. Then it was off to bed. His dreams all involved Brennan. Some of them were strange beyond comprehension. Some of them were dirty. When he rolled out of bed at five the next morning he didn't feel any better about anything. In fact, he felt worse.

He kept the radio off as he drove to the office. He really should be swinging by the Jeffersonian first but didn't feel up to seeing any of the Squints this early in the morning. He realized that he wasn't looking forward to seeing any of them. After having spent most of yesterday with them he was looking forward to sitting behind his desk filling out paperwork and doing other non-important tasks. Only, he knew that today wasn't going to go his way. He had to interview the officer that had been attacked and follow-up on the decomposing body. Eventually he would have to go to the Jeffersonian. Eventually he would have to see Brennan. And everything would be the way it was the day before. He didn't want that.

He opted to prolong his delay in arriving at the Jeffersonian by heading to the hospital first. Perhaps by now the officer was awake and could tell him exactly what happened yesterday. If he kept the guy talking long enough he could run it into his lunch break and have another hour before showing up at the lab. As though it could read his mind his cell phone began to ring. Looking at the number he tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. It was from the lab. It was Brennan's number. He didn't want to talk to her just yet. Not until he could figure out what he was going to do.

It had been his goal to ask the scientist out on a date. But every chance he got alone with her they were chasing bad guys or listening to Angela go on and on about the wedding. It was almost like the universe was telling him to just forget about it. And he was beginning to think that it would be a good idea. After all, it was nearly May and he still hadn't found the right moment to ask her out. Like a fool he had gotten his hopes up the other night when she asked him to accompany her somewhere. He thought that just maybe she was asking him out. She was, in a way, but not the way he wanted. He pulled the SUV into a parking space at the hospital and grabbed his cell phone. It chirped once to let him know that a voicemail had been left for him. He flipped the phone open and pushed a button to shut the damn thing up. He would find some other time to listen to it. At the moment he was more intent on checking on the officer.

The nurses were all too happy to help him out in finding the room of the fallen officer. As he thanked them he entertained the fleeting thought that he should ask one of them out. They'd probably say yes in a heartbeat. He knocked on the door to announce his presence before entering the room. Balloons and vases with flowers and cards dotted the various surfaces in the private room. The officer was sitting up in his bed reading through the newspaper. He looked up at Booth when he walked in.

Confusion was evident on the officer's face. He didn't recognize his visitor. Booth pulled out his badge. "Special Agent Seeley Booth," he introduced himself.

He watched as recognition dawned on the officer. "The man who was supposed to show up at the apartment building yesterday?"

"Yeah," Booth offered him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

The officer shook his head, offering a smile of his own. "You couldn't have done anything. That bastard jumped me the minute I walked through the damn door. I should have been more cautious but I thought the place was empty. It sure looked vacant."

"Did you get a good look at the man?" Booth asked. He had pulled a notebook from a pocket and was poised to write down every detail that the officer could remember. His cell phone picked that moment to ring again. He pulled it from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Brennan again. He shut the phone off.

"Someone trying to get a hold of you, Agent Booth? If you need to be somewhere I won't hold you up," the officer said, turning his attention back to the newspaper.

Booth shook his head. "They can wait. I need to know what happened to you yesterday. I need every detail you can recall. I want this guy off the streets before he kills someone."

"With my gun," the officer finished for him. "Alright. I guess I should start from the beginning. The call that came in about the body was from an anonymous source and made on a payphone. I was the closest officer to the building so I took the call. When I rolled up in front of the place I didn't see anyone around. I figured the place to be vacant. Still, I kept my gun at the ready just incase. But I guess I let things slip when I saw that body in the apartment. It was only a momentary thing, couldn't have been no more than a second or two but that's when he jumped me."

"What did he look like?" Booth asked.

"To be honest, I couldn't tell you," the officer shrugged. "He was wearing a red ski-mask which I though was unusual since most of them wear black. We struggled but he managed to get his hands around my throat and my back up against the wall. Next thing I know I'm in the hospital and my service revolver is gone. Talk about a shitty day, man."

"The guy didn't say anything to you?"

"Nope, not one word. Though he did grunt a few times," the officer told him with a shake of his head.

"Alright. Can you think of anything outside the building that you may have thought was normal but now seems suspicious?"

The officer shook his head. "There was a rusted piece of shit across the street but it was missing a tire on the front wheel. I told you, it was like I was the only one there."

"Thanks," Booth said. "I'll make sure to keep you in the loop."

"Yeah right," the officer smiled. "You Feds are the secretive type."

Booth was smiling as he left the room. A smile that quickly faded when he realized that the interview had taken less than a half hour to conduct. It was still some time before he had a lunch break. Looked as though he would have to head over to the lab. He still wasn't sure he even wanted to. Maybe he should have a talk wit his boss, maybe get somebody else assigned to the case. Of course, he knew that wasn't going to happen. The man in charge knew that the scientists liked working with Booth. They made a great team and no idiot was dumb enough to break them up. He was going to have to head to the Jeffersonian, whether he wanted to or not. With a sigh, he climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.


	11. One Thing

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: One Thing**

He pulled into the first free parking spot he found outside the Jeffersonian. The sun was disappearing behind the gathering clouds of promised rain. More damn rain. He heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Judging by the way the wind was picking up they were in for a hell of a storm. Most of the nasty storms hit the Plains' states during the early months of spring but it wasn't unheard of for one of those storms to tear through Washington DC. He walked slowly toward the entrance of the lab, wasting even more time. As he walked over the threshold into the Jeffersonian he heard Zack talking in a hushed and hurried tone as Hodgins stood by. They seemed to be arguing about something. Booth decided he didn't want to be a part of whatever it was so he made no attempt to say hi. He slipped passed them into the main room. Angela was in the corner having a chat with Dr Goodman, who was smiling and laughing about something. They all seemed to be in high spirits. And none of them, oddly enough, seemed to be working. Didn't they have a body to be working on?

He stood at the bottom of the stairs knowing full well that he couldn't pass through the alarm system without setting it off. He kept asking for Dr Goodman to give him a clearance card of his own but so far he hadn't gotten anywhere. He put his hands in his pockets as he waited. The idea of calling for some help popped into his head. He chased it away. If he had been lucky enough to sneak into the lab, chances were, he could sneak back out. He'd wait just five more minutes. If no one showed, he was gone. They could get mad at him all they wanted. At least he showed up.

"How long have you been standing there?" Bones asked, coming down the steps to let him through. "You could have called for one of us, you know."

"I could have," Booth agreed. "However, I figured you would all be working. At least, that's what I thought on my drive over here. But when I saw that both Hodgins and Zack were by the front door and Angela was talking to Dr Goodman I figured what the hell, why should I bother them?"

Booth," Bones said a bit testily. "We've all been here since early this morning. I've been here since about four. All the evidence has been gone over. Tests are being run. We have done all that we can with the body at the moment. Angela even gave us a face to work with."

She handed him a piece of paper. He looked it over. The nearly decomposing body now had the face of a lovely young red-head with emerald green eyes. The bridge of her nose and her cheeks were absent of the freckles he expected to find there. She looked to be about nineteen in the computer-compiled picture. He handed it back to Bones.

"Alright, have you searched the Missing Persons database?" he asked knowing full well that they would have thought of that.

"Yes, and there weren't any hits," she confirmed. "I think she was either living on her own so no one was worried about her, or she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Or no one missed her," Booth stated somewhat coolly. He crossed his arms over his chest.

Brennan put the paper on the desk and looked at him with a scowl. "What is wrong with you? I tried calling you in earlier but you ignored my calls. Now you're treating me like I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. Did I do something to piss you off, Booth?"

"No," he told her. He had to be honest with himself; she hadn't done anything. It wasn't her fault that he couldn't get up the courage to ask her out. It also wasn't her fault that the universe kept throwing pegs in the cogs and redirecting their course.

"Well, when you feel like actually talking to me and working this case with me, you know where to find me," she replied turning to leave him standing there alone. He watched her stalk away, her pride having taken a blow. She disappeared into her office, closing the door behind her.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit. He had just gone and made things worse. Running a hand through his hair he tried to decide what would be the best course of action; going back to his office to work on the case or going after Brennan. Zack came charging up the stairs look about as pissed as Brennan had. Hodgins was close behind him. Upon spotting Booth Zack headed in his direction.

"You haven't seen my necklace have you?" he asked.

Booth looked at him and then at Hodgins, who offered up an explanation. "Brennan gave it to him and he lost it. He's running around like a mad man."

Zack whirled on Hodgins. "Well you promised to take me by the bridal store to see if it was there and you didn't." He turned back to Booth. "Can you give me a lift? It'll be a quick drive, I promise."

"Sorry, no can do, Zacky," Booth apologized. "I have to talk with Brennan. Maybe afterwards."

He didn't waste anytime in turning to head toward Brennan's office. Let someone else deal with the problems of Zack. It was just a necklace. Sure, Booth had been the one to convince Bones that she needed to buy it but that was before. Before what, he asked. Before he made such an ass out of himself over nothing. He knocked on the closed door. She didn't answer. He opened the door, entered the office and closed it behind him. She looked away from her monitor to see who it was. Then it was back to typing her novel. This was the first time he could remember getting the cold shoulder from her.

"Bones, I'm sorry," he started off, thinking that an apology would make for a good start. "I know that I was being jerk, and it's not your fault. It's mine. See, I've got this idea in my head and I've been beating myself up over it and I took it out on you. The wrong person."

She stopped typing and turned to him. "What's on your mind?"

He plopped down in one of the many chairs in her office. "Well, you see, if I could tell you that I wouldn't be having such a problem. On a whim I made this really ridiculous New Year's resolution. Every year I make them knowing that I won't keep them, but I make them anywhere. It's kind of like my own tradition. This year, though, this year I pledged to keep my resolution. The only problem is, I haven't gotten up the courage to ask you out and I don't think I ever will."

"Ask me out where?" Bones asked him, stopping his ramble.

"For a drink. After work," he stated, feeling a bit like he was in high school again and asking out the head cheerleader. "You know, like on a date."

She just looked at him for a few moments. Then said, "When?"

He shrugged. "Like tonight, or something. Maybe tomorrow. Whenever you're free."

"Booth, we have a case to work," she said. She glanced at her computer screen for a moment. "And I have this deadline…"

"Hey," he said, getting up from the chair, "don't worry about it. Take the offer off the table. Pretend it never happened."

Brennan watched him turn to leave. He seemed to have deflated like balloon with a hole. She felt bad. Would it really be so bad to go on a date with Booth? Angela was always on her case about the FBI agent. And Brennan had to admit, she was kind of jealous that Angela and Hodgins were so happy. She wanted what they had. But could she have it with Booth? Or would it be nothing but heartache? She chewed her bottom lip.

"Wait, Booth," she spoke suddenly. He turned to look at her, his hand on the doorknob. "Tonight sounds like it would be fine. Pick me up at seven? At my place?"

He offered her a sincere smile. "It's a date."


	12. Obvious Heart

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Obvious Heart**

Brennan was still trying to decide what to wear when there was a knock at her door. She stopped, her hands clasping a red blouse. She looked toward the door. What was she thinking? Here she was, about to go on a date with Booth, and she didn't know anything about it. Not to mention, she couldn't recall the last time she had dated anyone. What if she made a completely fool of herself? She would never be able to work with Booth again. She was beginning to think that saying yes was a bad idea and it was all going to be a big disaster. Still, she had said yes and that meant she was going. Just as soon as she figured out what to wear. There was another knock at the door.

"It's open," she called.

She heard the door open and close. "Where are you?" Booth called back to her.

"In my bedroom trying to get ready," she answered him. With a sigh full of despair she threw the blouse on the bed with everything else she had rejected. It was hard to get ready for a date when you didn't know where you were going. She didn't want to dress casually and end up at a fancy restaurant. She also didn't want to dress fancy and ended up somewhere that she'd stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe this was why she never dated. It was too much of a hassle.

A rap on the door frame made her jump. She turned to see Booth standing there, one hand in the back pocket of his jeans. He was wearing slightly faded blue jeans and T-shirt advertising some band she had never heard of. He was dressed casually. Not exactly what she was expecting.

He smiled. "Trying on everything you own to figure out what you look best in? Because you look good in anything, Bones."

She felt herself blush. It had been ages since she had done that. "I just wanted to find something appropriate for the date. I wasn't sure if I should dress down or dress-up."

"Jeans and a T-shirt will work just fine," he told her.

"What, no fancy restaurant where they speak a foreign language?" she teased him with a small smile as she walked over to her dresser.

"Nah, that would be date two," he replied, leaning on the door frame. "Plus, I don't think of you as the fancy restaurant type. I have something else completely different planned. And you aren't going to suspect a thing."

She pulled a T-shirt out of the top drawer and a pair of jeans from the third drawer. She shooed him out of the doorway saying, "You don't get to watch me change. Go make yourself comfortable on the couch. Have a beer or something."

"That beer you have isn't my taste," he shot back as he walked down the hallway.

She rolled her eyes and closed the door. It took her only a few minutes to change into her new clothes and brush her hair again. She grabbed a hair band incase she decided an up-do would suit her better. There was no telling where they were going. This was Booth, after all. When she was finished she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look like anyone about to go out on a date. Of course, she still couldn't believe that she was going out on a date.

"Alright, I'm ready," she said as she left her bedroom behind. She walked into the main room of her apartment to find Booth leaning against the back of the sofa.

"Lovely," he said to her. "Shall we?"

He spared her the humiliation of opening the apartment door and the car door, knowing that it would only anger her. Then they were off to the location that he knew would make a perfect first impression. If he didn't get any points for being thoughtful than there would be no winning her heart. All throughout the drive she asked him little questions about their destination. He never gave her a straight answer. Sometimes, he didn't even bother to answer her at all. He'd just flash her a smile. About an hour after leaving her apartment they pulled into a parking lot. They climbed out of the car. Brennan was surprised to hear the sound of the ocean. She could smell the salt on the air, the breeze coming off the ocean was cool and she wished that she had brought a sweater.

"Where are we and what are we doing?"

"You'll see," was all he told her. He made a bold move to take her hand in his. She didn't seem to mind the contact and that gave him a boost of confidence. "After you said yes I got to think, where could I take that you wouldn't be bored out of your mind? And neither would I. I started checking around and I think I may have found the perfect place."

The stepped in front of a low, white cement building with a big glass doors. Words in blue lighting above the door glowed in the increasing darkness of the night. "An aquarium?" she looked at Booth.

He shrugged. "Hey, who better to bring to an aquarium other than a scientist? I figured we could talk fish for a while, maybe grab a bite to eat at one of the little restaurants along the beach. And if you're up to it, go for a walk on the beach. No cheesy movies, no foreign languages. Just a casual time out."

"Sounds nice," she said, looking at the building before her. "Somehow though, I think you got help from Angela." She giggled. "I told her I wanted to come here when it opened, we just never got around to it."

"I don't reveal my sources," he whispered in her ear.

Together they took off into the aquarium. They spent nearly two hours looking at the fish and other various marine life swimming over their heads and along the walkways. Booth was fascinated with the sharks while Brennan was more interested in the endangered sea turtles. The brightly colored fish gave them something to talk about as they constantly pointed out this fish and that one. Brennan finally called it quits when she couldn't stand being hungry any longer. Booth took her along a little boardwalk passed various tiny restaurants, many with delicious smells pouring out of them. He finally stopped at a place offering Greek food when Brennan told him it smelled absolutely wonderful. He usually settled for Thai or Chinese but was game to try something new. They bought their dinner and sat on the edge of the boardwalk to eat it. The food wasn't half bad and they shared their meals.

The date ended with a starlit walk on the beach. The walked hand in hand talking about anything that popped into their heads. Brennan learned that Booth once aspired to be a doctor until he found himself in the Military. She confessed that she slipped into the roll of an author by pure mistake, and some days she wished it had never happened. When her watch told her it was nearing eleven Brennan decided that they should head back. It was going to be a long drive and they both had work the next day. Booth, who was really happy with the way the date had gone, agreed. Maybe he'd be lucky to get a good night kiss from her.


	13. First Time

**Title: **Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: First Time**

They just sort of fell through the door into Brennan's apartment. Booth kicked the door shut behind him. This was beyond anything he had been expecting. The ride back to the apartment had been a peacefully quite one while they both reflected on the date. He had been hoping for a kiss when he walked her to her door. He got one. The kiss was everything he imagined and then some. He never wanted to it to. When people say they see fireworks when they kiss that special someone, Booth saw something beyond fireworks. It was hard for him to describe the feeling. Apparently, he wasn't the only one enjoying the sensation of their lips finally touching. Brennan was reluctant to pull away. She had fumbled with unlocking the door and getting it open, giving them access to her place.

Booth wanted to pull away, to let her go so that things wouldn't go any farther. But at the same time, he felt like the only thing keeping him afloat was her. He felt the warmth of her hands as they found their way under his shirt and up his back. The mere touch of her hands on his bare skin sent shockwaves of ecstasy rushing through his body. All he had wanted that evening was a date with the woman of his dreams and here he was in her living room making out with her. It was after midnight and they both needed to be fresh for work tomorrow. Yet, neither one of them seemed worried about it.

He finally freed himself from her lip-lock. He let his lips leave a trail down her chin and onto her neck. She held him close, keeping their bodies pressed together as though they were in some small, cramped place. As he kissed the nape of her neck he felt her shiver in his grasp. A nearly impossible to hear moan escaped from between her lovely lips and he was back to kissing her. They had progressed farther than the right inside the door and neither one seemed to be in haste to rush off to the bedroom. Though Booth was enjoying this with every fiber of his being he knew that nothing could come of it. Not tonight. Maybe if it wasn't their first date he would let it get farther. Tonight they would have to settle for making out and nothing more. He was worried about pushing things too far too quick and driving her away. Now that he finally had her it was the last thing he wanted to do.

She slowly trailed her hands down his back sending a shiver up his spine. She drew her hands around front to play with the button on his jeans. He put a hand on hers to stop her. The kissing stopped.

"No," he whispered between gasps for air. Brennan was breathing the same way. Her cheeks were flushed, giving her a look that Booth found very cute. Her eyes looked into his and he could read so many emotions in a passing second. There was burning desire and want with a touch of regret and relief. "We can't….you understand, don't you?" Why was he whispering?

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know, it would be wrong somehow. But it sure felt good while it lasted," she told him.

The slowly untangled from each other and stood there in the awkward silence. Booth ran a hand through his hair. "I should probably leave. It's getting late and there's work tomorrow…"

"Yeah," Brennan agreed, scratching her earlobe. Her eyes glanced the clock on the microwave as she looked around her apartment. She turned back to Booth. "Actually, why don't you sleep on the couch? It's nearly tomorrow morning and I don't want you driving home. You might fall asleep behind the wheel. I have extra blankets and pillows in the bathroom closet that you could use."

"That's mighty sweet of you, Bones, but I think I'm going to take a rain check," he apologized. He wanted to stay in her bed, not on her couch. It was probably a better idea for him to just leave.

She grabbed him by his wrist and tugged him further into the apartment. "You are staying and that's final. We can stop by your place on the way to work tomorrow, okay? Now let me get you some blankets and pillows so that you can get comfy. I plan to leave early tomorrow morning. There's a lot of work to be done."

He put up no fight as she dragged him to couch. He stood there looking at the sofa while she went to fetch the blankets and pillows. How was he supposed to sleep on the couch knowing that she was only a few feet away? Was she trying to torture him? He gave the door to the apartment a fleeting glance. He could always leave while she was in the bathroom. Tomorrow she would understand his decision. All would be well between them. But she came back before he could make his move. She thrust the makings of a bed into his arms and smiled at him. And just like that she was gone again. He smiled, shaking his head as he sat on the couch. There was no way in hell he was going to fall asleep. Not when he was feeling hot and bothered. The little voices in his head were doing battle. One was happy that he had stopped things before they got too far while the other one was mentally kicking him in the ass.

He sat there in the dark for an unknown length of time before eventually drifting off to sleep. Brennan hadn't faired any better. She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't believe the turn of events. It was supposed to just be a date. Hell, when she got out of bed yesterday morning she wasn't even thinking about dates. She was thinking about dead bodies and work. Now she was lying in her bed thinking about how it felt too big and empty. Though she found that she was relieved that things hadn't gotten too far she couldn't help feeling a little sad. Would it really have been so bad to let Booth have her? Of course, she had to remind herself that he was the one that stopped it all, not her. As she turned onto her side she thought about sneaking into the living room. She eventually drifted off to sleep imagining the reaction she was going to get out of Angela.


	14. Drag You Down

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Drag You Down**

She tried to be quite when she woke the next morning. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake Booth and have him be mad at her. She wasn't aware of his sleeping patterns. Was he a morning person or did he like to roll out of bed around noon when the opportunity presented itself? She, of course, was a morning person. She loved getting to the Jeffersonian and fitting as much work as she could into her day. She lived for the science. It was all she had in the long run. The one thing that was always constant in her life. It had been years since she last fully trusted someone. However, she had to admit to herself time and time again that she did indeed trust Booth. She just wasn't sure how much she trusted him.

She was able to shower and change without making much noise. She figured her plan of not waking Booth had worked. So imagine her surprise when she walked quietly into the main portion of her apartment and found him sitting at the table. He had helped himself to a bowl of cereal and was currently reading her newspaper. She didn't know quite what to think. Angela and Hodgins were going to have mornings like this for the rest of their lives' once they got married. Was it the same thing that she wanted for herself?

"Morning," she said to him casually. She walked into the kitchen to find that the coffee had already been brewed. When she looked over her shoulder she didn't see a mug on the table. He had brewed it just for her. "I didn't figure you for a morning person. You do know that's it only going to be seven, right?"

He put the paper down, folding it neatly. "Yes, I'm more than aware of that. And no, I'm not really a morning person but my job makes me one. Plus, we have to run by my place. I need to change. Can't go to work dressed like this. Something tells me that my boss would be very unhappy with me. And I don't need anymore of his shit."

"Just let me get my breakfast and we can go," she told him, popping a bagel into the toaster. She turned around and leaned against the counter. "Did you sleep well? I don't think anyone has slept on my couch since I bought it."

"It was fine," he smiled. He gave her a somewhat odd look, like he was trying to think of the best way to ask her a question that was on his mind. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment before he finally found the words he wanted. "Tell me, do I have to run around town today and do more wedding stuff? Because if I have to hear about another tux or dress I think I might throw-up or bash my own head in."

His words elicited a short laugh from Brennan. "Don't worry, I believe today is going to be strictly a work day. Though I'm not too sure about tomorrow. I'll let Angela know that you aren't up for cake testing."

"Oh no, that's something I actually wouldn't mind," he said. He stood, picking up his empty bowl from where it sat on the table and putting it in the sink. "You can't go wrong with a nice piece of cake or three."

"See," she smiled. Her bagel popping out of the toaster, "not all parts of the wedding planning are bad." She proceeded to spread cream cheese on her bagel. Then she grabbed her bag and her car keys. "Alright, I think I need an extra pair of hands."

Booth held up her travel cup of warm steaming coffee. "I got it, so don't worry you're pretty little head about it."

She rolled her eyes over his remark but kept her mouth shut. She let him drive her car to his place while she enjoyed her rushed breakfast. Rarely did she actually eat in her car. She was usually up early enough to eat before leaving for work. Last night had been different though. She had been out later than she was used to. When they got to his place they parted company, each knowing that they would see each other later in the day. She drove away. As usual the lab was a swarm of people that she didn't really know and her team was vacant. Checking her watch she knew that they wouldn't show up for another half hour or so. That gave her plenty of time to sit in her office and work on that novel before her deadline passed her by. She settled in to work and completely lost herself in the world of her characters. She didn't hear the knock on her door, at first. A second knock was more forceful, much louder. It made her jump.

"Come in," she yelled. Glancing at her clock she saw that at least an hour had gone by.

Angela peeked in before opening the door wide enough to slip into the office. "So you are here," she said with a smile. "The boys were wondering if maybe you had taken the day off. But I told them that that would never happen. So, what are you doing?"

"Just trying to finish this novel," Brennan answered with a yawn.

"Yawning at work? That's not like you," Angela said as she sat in one of the other chairs. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

Brennan shook her head.

Instantly there was a twinkle in Angela's eyes. "Why? Did you go out with a particular FBI boy that we all know and love?"

Brennan nodded and Angela practically squealed.

"I want to hear everything," she declared.

Brennan was happy to tell Angela about her night with Booth. Her friend listened with rapt attention to every detail. She was really interested to hear that Booth spent the night on Brennan's couch, though Brennan made sure to leave out the parts about them making out. "I woke up this morning and found him sitting at my kitchen table eating cereal and reading the newspaper," she finished.

"And?" Angela pressed with a smile. "Did you like it? Are you two going out another date? Are there more wedding bells in the future?"

"Hold on, Angela,' Brennan laughed. "Don't rush me to the alter. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about him."

"Oh, is he the first…?"

"No, well, in a while," admitted Brennan. When had she last gone a date with anyone? Maybe she would talk to Booth this afternoon and see about setting up a time for a second date. It couldn't hurt. She was about to say something when there was another knock at her office door. "Come in," she called, giving Angela a look.

Dr Goodman poked his head in. "I need the both of you out here pronto. I'm sorry, but there's a bit of bad news." Angela and Brennan exchanged looks before they both followed Dr Goodman out.


	15. My Carousel

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: My Carousel**

As the boys waited they thumb wrestled and Hodgins kept saying things to Zack that he didn't really get. The boy was as bad as Brennan at times when it came to the world outside of the Jeffersonian. But at least he was good at what he did. Angela had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something about the way Dr Goodman had looked, the way he had said he had bad news. What sort of bad news did he have? Was one of them going to be fired? Last time he told them there was bad news they had to attend some hoity-toity rich party. None of them enjoyed that occasion. Hopefully this bad news wouldn't be so bad. Brennan had her mind on other things. Mainly Booth. He wasn't present when their small group met up with Hodgins and Zack. For some reason they had been made to meet in a room closed off from the rest of the Jeffersonian. On a table in the middle of the room was a body covered in a sheet. Her eyes darted toward it and she wondered if there was some new mummy discovery or something else along those lines. But how would that be bad news?

"I'm sorry to ruin your day so early in the morning," Dr Goodman started off. There was sadness in his voice. "Last night, the local night shift crime scene unit was called to a hotel where a body was found. It was believed to be an accident. They processed the scene and went about doing their usually routine. When they ran the prints, though, everything went to hell. I was immediately contacted and the body was transported here for us to work the case. The FBI wants us in charge of this case."

Zack and Hodgins were quiet. Angela was standing beside Brennan, her hands clasped firmly in front of her. Brennan looked at the covered body once again and instantly knew he was under it. She wasn't sure how she should feel about it, though. She hated situations like this. It was her job to have answers, or to at least find them. But when things like this happened she didn't know what to do. So she opted to keep her mouth shut and let Dr Goodman finish talking.

"As you can imagine," he continued on when no one said anything, "this is to be kept under wraps for as long as we can manage. The FBI will play some interference with the media, but only as much as they actually can. They want us to find the truth and close this case. The sooner the better. We're all in for a lot of long days and late nights."

Hodgins was tired of Dr Goodman dancing around the subject. He wanted to know who was under the sheet. "Dude, who's the dead body? We can't start our job without the identification. What are we keeping hush-hush?" There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Is the body of a foreign spy or some political powerhouse?"

Dr Goodman shook his head. He went to the head of the table and pulled the white sheet back. At the same time he said, "The body belongs to Dr Camille Saroyan."

The others reacted in much the way anyone would expect them to when they saw the body of someone they once worked with. In the beginning, when Cami had started working at the lab none of them really cared for her. They all grew to respect her and eventually like her in their own time. That was, except for Brennan. The form Navy Seal always bothered Brennan. Maybe it was the way she refused to let the team handle cases the way they were used to. Maybe it was because Booth seemed to drool all over her when they were in each other's presence. She had little reaction when the body was uncovered. She had guessed correctly and still wasn't sure how she felt about the whole thing. Cami was dead. Cami was out of her life and she felt nothing. She wasn't sad and she wasn't glad. She felt absolutely nothing. And she hated it.

A hand fluttered to Angela's throat. "Oh my…" She couldn't finish what she was going to say. The words wouldn't come. Hodgins was at her side instantly to offer her any comfort she was willing to take. Zack looked like he was going to cry. Even Dr Goodman had a sad expression on his face. Brennan stood there trying to figure out what to do. She wanted to find Booth and tell him. She wanted to start work on the case to close it so she wouldn't have to think about it. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. But she didn't do any of it. After all the months of working with Cami she felt as though she barely knew the woman and had no right to grieve for her. Grieving never got anyone anywhere in the world. Just another thing she couldn't never quite understand.

The alarm went off as an unauthorized person entered the lab. Brennan knew instantly that it was Booth in much the same way that she knew it was Cami who had died. He came racing into the room only to be stopped by Dr Goodman, who stood in his path. Brennan looked at Booth. He had looked happy and even hopeful this morning when she dropped him off at his place. No he looked as though the world had come crashing down on top of him. She hated that he was mourning Cami and she hated herself for feeling that way. There were tears in his eyes just waiting to spill over. He no longer cared that he didn't look like the tough FBI guy anymore. He had lost someone who had been important to him. Someone he loved at one point in time. Brennan wondered how he would react if it were her that was on that table instead of Cami.

She caught his eye and saw the pain in them, that empty feeling that loss left behind. She quickly looked away, fearful that he would see the truth in her eyes. Instead she turned her gaze to the lifeless form of Cami. For the first time she stopped thinking scientifically and started thinking of her life. It was like a damned carousel ride. The ride was long but it always went round and round, just at a slow pace. Every time she felt she was getting somewhere in life the carousel finished its turn and began another one. One that would lead her down a road of pain and mistrust. This morning she had felt something. Something along the lines of love for Booth. But looking at him now she could tell that he was lost to her. Loving her was the last thing on his mind. She felt cold. She felt conflicted.

She noticed that the others, with the exception of Booth, were staring at her. She looked away, ashamed. They were probably trying to gauge her reaction. The one that wasn't there. She still felt nothing about the passing of Cami. All the emotions running through her body were connected to the effects of Cami's death but weren't specifically for Cami's death. It was probably nothing but she couldn't take their stares and unasked questions. She left the room, making sure to keep her eyes focused on anything but her grieving friends.


	16. Sick of it All

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Sick of it All**

She charged down the hallway toward her office. She kept her head down, her hands clasped in front of her body. She ignored the passing glances she was most likely getting from other patrons in the lab. She didn't want to have to explain why she looked like she was going to fall apart any minute now. She didn't want to have to answer the questions and look into their accusing stares. Inside the well of emotions was finally starting to stir and they were on the verge of bubbling over. The tears were filling her eyes and trying to force their way out. But she held them back. Reaching the safety and comfort of her office she opened the door just wide enough to fit through before closing it behind her. She leaned back into the solid piece of wood. Hidden from the world she finally let the tears out. She felt each one of them as they left trails on her cheeks. The tears weren't for Cami. No, they were for Booth. For what could have been.

Why was it that life did this to her?

Why did it give her someone to love and tear them quickly from her grasp? She wanted what Angela and Hodgins had. She wanted that comforting love. That embrace that meant the world. And for the first time she had actually seen Booth as the man she wanted to spend her life with. In one night she had gone from seeing him as a friend to seeing him as more. She wanted to open her heart to him, give herself to him. Now he would be more interested in finding the killer of Cami. As she composed herself walking toward her desk she made a mental note and a decision that would piss off a lot of people. She didn't care. This was her lab. She practically ran the place. She was the one who knew all the answers to unasked questions. She was the one who kept the place afloat. And she wasn't going to work the case of Cami's death. Dr Goodman would be furious with her. Maybe even threaten to fire her. At this point in time she didn't really care. She wanted nothing to do with Cami; in life or death. There was the matter of a half decomposed body and a missing officer's gun. That was the case she would work. That was the case that spoke to her. That was the case that needed to be solved. Preferably before the thief killed someone with his stolen gun.

She sat at her desk and turned on her computer. She logged online to check her email. Her agent wasn't happy about the delay in her next novel. Quickly she typed up another email about how she was swamped with the officer's case. She hit the send button without a second though. Then turned her attention to the folder on her desk. Inside was everything they had been able to gather at the scene in the apartment building. Even the statement from the officer that Booth had given her. She took out a few photos of the body to look over. It would have been better to look at the actual body in question but at the moment she felt it would be better if she stayed in the safety of her office. She placed the photos on her desk. In the bottom drawer was a magnifying glass. She pulled it out and began to go over the first photo, making notations on a pad of paper.

She found the first anomaly in the third photo she looked at. Something about the trauma to the skull didn't seem right. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. But the nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that it was important, that it wasn't exactly what it seemed. Putting the photo aside to look at later she moved onto the next one. It was a close-up of the girl's right hand. Two of her fingers were broken and her wrist appeared to have a hairline fraction. Or that could have been a mistake in the film. Brennan put the photo down and rubbed her eyes. She would rather be looking at the body.

But was it safe to leave her office?

As if reading her mind someone knocked on the closed door. They didn't open it or try the handle. They waited patiently on the other side waiting for her to make up her mind on whether she wanted them in or not. If it was Dr Goodman there would a heated argument. If it was Booth she wouldn't know what to say to him. Finally, letting out a sigh, she called out, "Who's there?"

"It's just me, hun," came Angela's voice in reply.

Brennan relaxed. Angela would have some understanding of how she felt. She could talk with Angela about anything and know that the other woman wouldn't be too harsh or judgmental. "Come in, but make sure you close the door behind you."

Angela slipped into the now quiet room. She closed the door softly behind her before walking toward one of the chairs in front of Brennan's desk. Her eyes were rimmed in red from the tears she had cried. Brennan hoped she didn't look the same way. That was something she wasn't in the mood to explain. Taking a seat Angela looked at her with a sad smile. "I guess things are all messed up now, huh?" When Brennan didn't say anything she continued talking. "I'm so sorry, Tempy. I know that things were finally progressing between you and Booth. This is going to complicate things. I guess-"

"How is he holding up?" interrupted Brennan.

"Okay, I guess," Angela shrugged nonchalantly. She looked like she was going to start crying again. "He…" Her voice trailed off.

"He what?" asked Brennan well aware that Angela was trying to hide something for her sake. She hated when people did things like that.

"Felt apart when you left. The look in his eyes," Angela spoke her voice once again trailing off. She looked down at her hands. "I think he was upset by your reaction. It was almost like you didn't care, Tempy. Almost like it didn't matter at all that Cami died. I know the two of you didn't get along but still…"

"I'm not working the case, Angela," Brennan told her, feeling that she had to tell somebody. She wanted to gauge their reaction before she presented the fact to Dr Goodman.

"Dr Goodman said-"

"I know what he said," replied Brennan. She began to gather up the photos to put them back into the folder. "I never really liked Cami. I was happy to see her leave. No, I'm not happy that she's dead. But there are other matters that need to be seen to. You and the guys are capable of solving this on your own. I've taught you well. I'm going to look into our other case. The case we had before all this happened."

"Tempy," Angela spoke her name.

"Please, just let it go, Angela," she sighed. "I know how it looks. And I'm sick of it all." She leaned back in her chair, the tears beginning to well in her eyes again. "Every single time something in my life starts going right with a guy something comes along to mess it up. Remember the last guy I dated? Booth had to arrest him for murder. I've been foolish the last few days to think that anything would ever change. I need to focus on my job. And that's what I plan to do." She gathered the folder in her hands and stood. She didn't look back at Angela as she left her office behind. She was going to do what she always did. Lose herself in her work. It was the only constant thing in her life that made sense.


	17. For The Ocean

**Title: **Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: For the Ocean**

A few minutes later she found herself in one of the exam rooms all alone with the body of the girl. She was hoping to find a few fingers that still had skin so that she could get prints. Luck wasn't on her side. There was still too much flesh on the jaw to get a good enough picture of the teeth. She was going to have to wash the skull free of the muscle and tissues. It would also provide her with a better look at the head wound. Even standing next to the body it didn't seem quite right. Yet she still couldn't figure out why it bothered her so much. In the back of her mind she knew that she had seen something like it more recently but she couldn't recall where. Maybe she would go over some older cases later this evening while she ate her dinner. After all, she would still be sitting here in the lab. She didn't have any other plans. Nowhere to be. No one to see.

"What are you doing, Temperance?" Dr Goodman's booming voice asked.

She tried to hide the fact that his sudden presence had scared her. She hadn't expected anyone to come looking for her. "I'm working on my case," she answered, not bothering to even look at him.

"I thought I made myself perfectly clear that this lab was now working the case of Camille." He stood near the door, his hands behind his back, and a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Well I'm working this case," she told him, finally looking at him. It was time to face the music and she wasn't going to run and hide. Not this time. "Hodgins and Zack need the experience of working without me. Let them handle the case. They'll learn a lot more on their own then if I was helping them. They need to learn, to grow. To further their understanding of the human skeleton." She turned back to the body on the table.

"Oh, I wholeheartedly agree, Dr Brennan," Dr Goodman replied, dropping all evidence of friendliness from his voice. "Couldn't they do this for some other case at a later point in time? This is a very important, high profile case and I don't want things fucked up. I want you on the job."

Brennan frowned. "You want us all on the job. But what about her?" She pointed to the decomposing body which reeked, only she didn't really seem to mind the scent. It was starting to get to the doctor though. "Doesn't she deserve our time? Don't her parents deserve to know what happened to their daughter? Not to mention, there is a mad man running around with an officer's pistol. Do we want to sit back and wait until a body he's shot shows up on our doorstep? I don't think so. I will not have that on my head, Dr Goodman."

Her boss sighed, rubbing his temples. "I can see that I'm not going to win this one. Fine, work the case you're on. But we're going to have a serious discussion when all is said and done. And if the boys mess up, you'll be the one paying, Dr Brennan. I will not have this lab falling apart. Not while I'm in charge." With that said he turned and left her alone with the body.

The minute he was gone she turned her attention back to the body and the task at hand. There had to be evidence on the body somewhere. Something would be here that would point her in the direction of her killer. She began to go over the body inch by inch with slow measured moves. In an hour she had gathered two pieces of hair, some fibers that didn't match the corpses' clothes, and white substance that she wasn't too sure of it. But the nagging voice in the back of her mind told it was important, that it was going to start giving her answers. Before heading for the analyses machines she put the skull into a boiling pot of water. It would take about an hour to clean the bones. That gave her enough time to start her tests on her other evidence. Normally she would just have Zack and Hodgins do the testing while she kept an eye on the skill. However, since they were working a different case she was going to have to do it without them.

She placed the white grainy substance under a microscope and bent down to look at it. It like salt of some kind. The white grains were mixed in with grains of varying shades of brown. She frowned. Someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. Hodgins smiled at her. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to identify this substance quickly. I have a skull boiling and I don't want to overcook it," she told him. She noticed that he didn't seem bothered by the fact that she was working a different case.

"Mind if I have a look?" he asked. There was a twinkle in his eyes. He lived to identify the soils and liquids that usually accompanied bodies. He was good at it, so no one really questioned his odd infatuation with them.

Brennan stepped aside. "Go ahead."

He peered into the microscope. "Sea salt and sand," he told her in less than a minute. He turned to look at her. "So your girl was somewhere near the ocean. Did you and Booth find her in apartment though? That's a bit far to transport a body. The risks involved are too high. But well worth it if you can get away with murder."

"They aren't going to get away with murder," Brennan told him. "Thank you for your help, Hodgins. Now if you don't mind, I think I should go check on my skull. The sooner I photograph the teeth the sooner I can start looking for an identity."

"Anytime you want to borrow Angela to get a face for your victim just let her know," Hodgins told his boss. "You know she'll jump at the chance to help you."

She bid him goodbye and made her way back to the room. The skull had at least another half hour before it would be completely clean. She leaned against the metal exam table and crossed her arms over her chest. Hodgins had made a good point. Why would anyone take the risk of moving a body from the ocean to some inner city apartment?


	18. Broken Words

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Broken Words**

Nine had come and gone and still she was at the lab. She had left the body stored in a lock location and returned to the comfort of her office. There was no word from her agent. Not that she was really concerned about. She had been trying to find more answers to the identity of her missing girl without much progress. Angela had given her a rough sketch of what the young woman might have looked like. Dr Goodman was keeping a close eye on all of them so she didn't have much time to spare. Still, the picture she had given Brennan was good enough to give her some idea of what she was looking for. Between the sketch and the bones she had narrowed her search to a young woman between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, preferably having gone missing in the last few months. Angela had given the girl the bluest eyes with the slightest hint of green and the short hair colored the same brown as Brennan's. She had typed her information into the Missing Persons database in hopes of finding something. Anything. It was still searching with nearly a hundred possible answers.

The lab was quiet. The others had gone home for the night at the instructing of Dr Goodman. He wanted them to sleep and look at the case with fresh eyes the next morning. That left her alone to do as she pleased; which basically meant sitting in her office waiting for the computer to give her the answers is was searching for. She thought about opening the files on her computer to work on her story but realized that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on it. There were too many other things on her mind at the present moment. Things that needed her full attention and clearly weren't getting it. She still felt bad about dismissing Cami's death the way that she had. However, she also felt like she had made the right choice in distancing herself from the case altogether. She hadn't even asked one question about what the others had found. She didn't even know why the police and paramedics thought the death was originally an accident. She didn't really want to know.

She wanted to go home and sleep.

She already felt like she was dreaming. If anyone asked her she would tell them how much she wanted to go back to the night before. She wanted to walk down the beach with Booth beside her making that human connection she so desperately needed. Instead she was sitting at her desk chewing on a pen because she was feeling slightly sorry for herself. For the umpteenth time she wondered where Booth was and what he was doing now. She could always dial his cell number and get an answer. But that would mean bothering him and chances were, he was still grieving the death of his former girlfriend. Of whatever she had been to him. Brennan wondered how Booth saw her. Was she anything special in his eyes or just another pretty woman to jump into bed with? She threw the pen on her desk.

There was a knock on her door. She checked her watch. It was nearly ten at night. Who would possibly be in the lab this late but her? Her heart began to beat a little faster as thoughts of intruders ran through her mind. Maybe the person on the other side of the door meant to do her harm. She gripped the letter open on her desk before letting whoever it was know that they could enter her office. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw that Booth was the one who had come knocking. How had he gotten passed the security this late at night? She didn't feel like asking.

He had a white bag in one hand and he held it up for her to see. "Why don't we go to the break room and talk? I brought dinner."

"I'm not hungry," she told him in a soft voice. Almost instantly her stomach growled loudly, betraying her. She felt the slightest hint of a blush.

Booth smiled a little. "Seems like your lying to me." He stepped into her office. "Come on, you know that starving minds need to be fed. I got your favorite."

She could smell the enticing aroma of the Thai food from their favorite restaurant as it wafted out of the bag in his hand. She looked back at the computer. It was still going through the list of missing people. "Alright," you win," she says standing from her chair. "I'll have dinner with you. But then I'm coming right back here to return to working."

"As you wish," he told her, letting her leave the office first. He didn't close the door as he followed her to the break room. They took one of the tables near the windows that showed the beautiful skyline of the nation's capital. Tonight the sky was finally clear of clouds and the stars were being out shone by the moon. Booth emptied the bag while Brennan got them something to drink. "You know, this is kind of like our second date."

She returned to the table with two sodas. "I thought you said you'd take me to a fancy restaurant on our second date."

He smiled. "I didn't think you'd go for a second date, to be honest. It was like pulling crocodile teeth to get you to go on one date with me. I didn't want to push my luck."

"Why are you really here, Booth?" she asked him, not in the mood to tip-toe around the reason he had come. She knew it wasn't to feed her Thai food. Though she was thankful that he had brought the food. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was.

"I wanted to talk to you about Cami," he told her, averting his eyes. For some reason he wasn't willing to look her in the eye and the irritated her. He had never been like that before.

"Booth, I don't think we should-"

"I wasn't seeing her," he blurted out. Before Brennan could say anything he plunged ahead. "She kept calling me and leaving messages asking me to have lunch with her when she was in town. But I never went. I never even called her back. I would just delete them because I didn't want to think about her anymore. We had given each other a chance on more than one occasion and things never worked out the way. We never wanted the same things." He took a bit of his dinner. "Before she left for Quantico I told her that it was over, that I wasn't going to see her anymore. I'm not sure she really understood that I was tired of the games. I think I may have broken her heart in some way…"

Brennan placed a hand on his without really thinking about it. "Booth, it's not your fault that she's dead. Don't kick yourself for not seeing her that last time. If we regret the things we do, or don't do, than we never really get anywhere in our lives. You have to let her go."

"I have," he just about whispers. He clears his throat. "I removed myself from the case. I had my boss assign another agent. My priority is working the officer case with you. That is, if you'll have me back."

She smiled. "Only if you promise not to take me somewhere fancy for our second date."

"It's a deal," he chuckled.

"I'm going to go check the computer and see if it's done searching. When I get back I fill you in on everything, okay?"

"Don't leave me waiting too long," he said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading toward her office. "Hurry your butt along or I'll eat your dinner," he called over his shoulder. He couldn't see her smile.


	19. Suffocate

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Suffocate**

Brennan was feeling happy, her spirits having gone up since seeing Booth. There were still a lot of things that the two of them needed to talk about before she was going to even think things were back to the way they had been. After all, how could he just denounce one of his ex-girlfriends the way that he had? Would he have done the same if she was the one on the table and Cami the one to solve her murder? She shook her head. Now was not the time to be dwelling on bad thoughts and what ifs. She knew all too well that 'if' was the middle word in life. It was something she couldn't dwell on.

She hurried along to her office hoping that the computer hadn't found a match yet. She wanted to have a little more time to just enjoy the company of a man she had known for years but finally felt like she was actually getting to know him. And how long had he been waiting for that to happen? Better yet, how long had she been waiting for it to happen? As she neared her office door she noticed how quiet the place was, and that reminded her that she needed to ask Booth how he had gotten through the security system. Last she checked he hadn't been given a pass by Dr Goodman, though he did keep trying to get one. Maybe she would have a word with Dr Goodman and convince him that it would be a good idea to give Booth full access to the lab. What harm would it cause? He didn't know anything scientific so he wouldn't touch anything for fear of compromising evidence and fucking up a case. He never liked to see the bad guy get away. None of them did.

Opening the door to her office she walked across the carpeted floor to her desk. The monitor on her computer was black. She frowned wondering what had gone wrong. She looked down at the CPU. The lights were off. Either the lab had suffered some freak power outage or something else was up. She highly doubted the freak power outage idea since the lamp on her desk was still lit, illuminating the stack of papers she had there. The stack of papers that had been topped with the folder on her case. The folder that was now missing. Thinking that maybe it had slid off the desk she looked underneath and along the side checking the floor for the folder. It wasn't within sight. She began to get a bad feeling.

Her eyes settled on the door. She had opened it before gaining access to her office. It hadn't even registered as her hand touched the knob. Booth had never closed the door. He had left it open before falling into step alongside her as they headed toward the breakroom. That was more than enough proof for her that someone had been in her office. That feeling of dread that was growing in the pit of her stomach began to get worse. She looked around her office but since the overhead light was off she couldn't make out that much. Everything aside from her desk was shrouded in the darkness. The light pouring in from the door wasn't enough to unveil anything. All of a sudden she felt like an animal trapped between a predator and a route of escape. She was too afraid to move knowing that if she did the predator would see her and that would be the end of it all. She thought about yelling out to Booth and for some reason she couldn't even find the strength to open her mouth.

That surprised her. When had she become such a wet blanket? Ever since being buried alive with Hodgins she had noticed slight changes in her personality. Changes she didn't really like. She had grown more paranoid and every once in a while she noticed that she had these nagging fearful thoughts popping into her head. It was almost as though the old Brennan was still buried in that car in the ground. It sent a shiver down her spine. She could either let the fear completely conquer her or she could take back her life. She steeled her spine and headed for the door of her office. She thought she heard the scuffle of sneakers on the carpet behind her but never got the chance to look back.

Booth checked his watch and frowned. Bones had left to check her computer over twenty minutes ago. If she had found something surely she would have come back to tell him. He did really want to work the case with her. He didn't want to dwell on the passing of his ex. He had seen the pain and the conflict in Brennan's eyes when they were all standing around the body. She was worried about him but she was also worried about them. Was there really even a 'them' yet? He wanted there to be. Feeling that something was wrong he put down his soda and went to track her down. He didn't hear anything as he walked through the lab. He bypassed the security and was instantly hit with a nagging feeling. Earlier that evening he had been so happy and thinking so hard about the words he wanted to say to Bones that he wasn't really paying attention. He had climbed the stairs and headed straight to her office.

Walking right through the security gates.

Without setting them.

His heart began to beat faster as a stab of panic raced through his body. The security gates were always on and they should have sounded when he walked through them without a pass card. They hadn't and he had been too lost to notice. His eyes swept over the vast room as he checked to see if anyone was present. The room was empty. It was quiet. Too quiet. He didn't even hear the muffled sound of someone typing on a keyboard and footsteps on the tiled floor. He heard absolutely nothing. That sent him running down the hallway to Brennan's office. The door was closed and he knew for a fact that he had left it open. And why would Bones close it if she was just checking her computer?

"Bones," he yelled as he pushed the door open and come to a dead stop inside her office. The place was dark. He remembered looking at her earlier in the evening sitting at her desk in the soft glow of the computer screen and her desk lamp. Neither one was on now. Nothing was on. He didn't even hear the familiar hum of the CPU. He reached into the darkness and flipped on the overhead light. "Bones," he yelled again as his eyes fell on her body.

He ran to her side. She lay on the floor in a crumbled heap. There were ugly red marks around her throat. Someone had tried strangling her. He reached out with a shaking hand to feel if she still had a pulse. He placed two fingers on the side of neck, not even enjoying the fact that he was touching her soft skin. The ugly bruises were a constant reminder that something wasn't right. He found her pulse and sighed with relief before whipping out his cell phone to call for help. As he sat in the silence of the room he mentally kicked himself. If he had only been paying attention earlier none of this would have happened. He felt like he kept fucking up and at this rate Bones would have nothing to do with him. He never wanted her to be like that. But how could he possibly make it up to her?


	20. Bones and Joints

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Bones and Joints**

He rode with her in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The paramedic only had good things to say to him about her condition. As far as the man could tell the bruising was the worst of it. Whoever had attacked her had not meant to kill her. They had not applied enough pressure to do any permanent damage to her throat. The bruising would go away in a few days. So why, Booth has asked, was she still unconscious? The paramedic went on to explain that it was the brain's way of dealing with the lack of oxygen. People always blacked out when they were having trouble breathing. If after blacking out the pressure went away they resumed breathing and the brain got the much needed oxygen. He explained that that was why no one could ever choke themselves to death. Booth wasn't really paying attention even though he had asked the question. He was too busy watching Bones. The way she looked lying on the stretch, it brought back flashbacks of the case where he nearly lost her for good. He hadn't really thought much about it, fearful that he wouldn't be able to control his emotions if he did.

Now here they were once again on their way to the hospital. He had his cell phone in his hands. Somehow he had to call the others and break the news to them, let them know that the stakes had been upped. The only problem was, he didn't know why it happened. He wasn't sure if the person who attacked her was part of her case or was in some way tied to the death of Cami. Either way, they all needed to be on alert until both cases were solved. It was a good thing that Angela had already moved in with Hodgins and that Zack lived on the property too. At least they could keep an eye on each other. Dr Goodman had his wife and children. He and Bones were the only ones who went home to empty houses at night. Maybe he would discuss that with her when she woke up.

At the hospital he lagged behind while they wheeled her body toward the exam room. The paramedic told him that the doctor's were just going to double check and makes sure that everything was indeed okay. He paced. He couldn't help it. He didn't want to lose her. Just the mere thought of it made him want to break down and cry. They had been getting somewhere in their relationship and now this. He felt like punching the wall or kicking one of the plastic chairs that had been set along the walls. Instead he leaned up against one of the walls, closing his eyes and breathing deep, measured breaths. A few minutes later a doctor tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump. He turned to face the older man.

The doctor offered him a smile. "It appears as though Ms. Brennan will be alright. Her throat is in very good form and I imagine that there will be little bruising to the tissue."

"It's Dr Brennan," Booth caught himself muttering the correction.

"Oh, sorry," the doctor smiled again in a more apologetic way. "If you wish to see Dr Brennan she is in room two-oh-eight. Visitors are welcome for another hour but then you must go." Booth flashed his badge at the doctor. The older man looked at it a moment before sighing in defeat. "Alright, stay as long as you like. But don't let any of the other visitors see you."

Booth uttered a thank you before he took off in the direction of Brennan's room. He toyed with his cell phone knowing that it was his right, his duty, to inform Dr Goodman of what happened. But how was he going to break the news to the man? He couldn't do it the same way he had told parents that their child had died. That wasn't the right way to go about. Why was it that when it came to Bones he never knew what was right and what was wrong? He stopped outside the door to her room and finally punched in the number of Dr Goodman's home number. The doctor answered on the third ring. His voice was thick and foggy with sleep and he wasn't at all happy to have been woken up. But when Booth explained why he was calling all traces of sleep left Dr Goodman's voice. He was talking about coming down to the hospital and having the office gone over by a crime scene unit. Booth convinced him to stay home and go back to bed. After all, he was with Bones and the office could wait until the morning hours. Whoever had been in there was long gone and had taken what they wanted.

Feeling better he hung up the phone and pushed open the door to Brennan's room. She was lying in the bed. There weren't any wires hooked to her and she could have just been sleeping. Aside from those damned ugly bruises on her neck. He took a seat in the chair that was present in the room and began his silent vigil. Eventually he drifted off.

He awoke some time later to the sound of Brennan's voice. As he looked around the room it took him less than a second to recall what happened last night. He was up and on his feet standing beside the bed before he was even fully awake.

Brennan looked up at him. "What the hell happened?" Her voice was scratchy and he poured her a glass of water. She drank it down in one gulp. "I remember going back to my office and finding my computer off…"

"Someone attacked you," he told her. He found that being blunt with Bones was usually the best way to go about things. She didn't like to play mind games or have things hidden from her. "I found you lying on the floor passed out. Someone tried to suffocate you. Did by any chance get a look at them?"

She shook her head. "No, I remember thinking it was weird that my computer was off. And the case file was missing from my desk. I tried to get to the door. That must have been when I was jumped." She gave the room a good hard look. "How long do I have to stay here? I hate hospitals. I need to get back to the lab and see if anything else is missing from my office."

Booth smiled. That was the Bones he knew. "Look, I'll go track down a doctor and see if they are willing to release you. They said that aside from some bruising that you should be okay. I don't see why they would abject to releasing you." He turned to leave.

"Booth," she called out as he reached the door.

He turned to look at her. "Yes, Bones?"

She offers him a smile. "You own me a dinner date."

He checked his watch. "How about we make it breakfast instead"


	21. Famous

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-one: Famous**

They ate their breakfast together at a little café not far from the hospital. There wasn't much of a conversation to start with. Mainly because Booth was worried that it would hurt Bones to do a lot of talking. But she kept pressing the issue of her office and what evidence might possibly have been left behind. From the sound of her voice and the way she just kept bugging him he figured that her throat felt fine. Or she was ignoring the pain. He told her that he had someone over at the lab looking things over. He wanted to know if maybe she had gotten a look at her computer. But she shook her head, telling him that it was off when she went to her office. So they began to speculate who would have done it. In all likely hood it was probably the murderer. That would make the most sense. But Booth that sometimes there were other people who wanted things to stay covered up.

Bones was slightly amused as she listened to him ramble on about his conspiracy theory of a person in a high place that didn't want the truth to come out. She didn't think it was the answer they were looking for but he seemed to relish telling her about it. It sounded like some badly written book in her mind. They enjoyed their meals and each others company. She was about ready to accept that things were back to normal between the two of them. If he was grieving for Cami he surely wasn't doing it around her. He had to be grieving. It wasn't natural for him to not be grieving over someone he once loved. But what did she know about people? She was about the science.

At her persistence Booth took her back to the lab instead of to her apartment where the doctor wanted her to be. Something about her needing rest after such a traumatic event. She just scoffed it off saying that she would be fine. He rolled his eyes though he was smiling on the inside. If only knew what she was capable of handling it would be Bones. And he knew her well enough to stop fighting with her. The lab was more crowded than usual with all the extra bodies provided by the FBI and the local crime unit. As he watched Bones he noticed that she seemed slightly agitated and he knew why. All these people milling about in her domain, what if they touched something? What if they knocked something over and contaminated something that could have been potentially important? He had seen that look on her face before when he'd been in the lab those first few times. He also knew that he got that way sometimes. They all did. They all liked to do things a certain way and hated it when their routines were disrupted.

He tried to keep up with her as she bolted into the building and headed straight for the security gates. She raced up the steps and took off in the direction of her office. Zack was standing by a metal table near some computer equipment and he looked frazzled. When his eyes settled on Booth there was a flicker of hope in them. He walked briskly to the stop of the stairs and looked down at the FBI agent who was stuck where he was without a pass card.

"Can I look through your car?" Zack asked him a rushed voice. "It is here, isn't it? I mean, in the parking lot?"

"Why do you want to go through my vehicle?" Booth asked somewhat confused.

"Because I drove it home the other day and maybe my necklace fell off in there," Zack explained to him, his voice getting a hint of urgency.

Booth looked at the keys in his hand. "Well, I'll make you a deal. I'll give you the keys so that you can search my car if you let me through."

"Deal," Zack said with a smile. He swiped his card passed the computer chip and Booth stepped through while the light was green.

He handed the keys to Zack. "Don't mess it up. I want everything back in its original place when I get back in it. Got it?" But Zack had already run off. Booth just sighed. That kid never made any sense to him.

He weaved through the crowd of people to get to Brennan's office. He didn't see any of the other squints on his way and that made him just a touch worried. Where were they? Surely they all knew about Brennan's trip to the hospital and that things may very well have been compromised in one case, if not both. When he rounded the corner to step into her office he found the missing science geeks that had become his family and friends in an odd way. Not that he would openly admit it to most of the other men at his office. They would never let him live it down if they knew.

"You know, that's just creepy," Hodgins was saying as he stepped into the room.

"What's creepy?" Booth asked.

Angela looked at him and he could tell that she had been crying. Brennan was typing furiously at her computer and Hodgins was standing by the coffee table that they had all sat around at various times. He looked up at the agent and pointed to the table. "That's what is creepy. Whoever was here last night lined up all of Brennan's books in the order they were released. They're all signed by her, too."

Booth walked over to get a look for himself. "So whoever was here is a fan of her writing. What does that have to do with one of our cases?"

Hodgins smiled and Booth instantly regretted asking the question. The somewhat crazy scientist was known for his conspiracy theories. "Well, maybe he killed someone and left the books behind as a sign. Maybe it's his way of saying that her books inspired him or something. There are so many places I could go with this."

"Don't," Bones interrupted him. She was glaring at something on her computer screen. "The guy wasn't very smart. All he did was close down my program and turn off the computer. I had set up the search to save anything it came across. It found quiet a few matches but my computer tagged only three local missing person's cases. If we look into them maybe we'll find our thief."

"And your attacker," Angela said in a hushed voice. "I think you should let Booth handle this on his own."

Bones just kind of looked at her like she was crazy. "This man broke into my office, stole my case file, possibly tampered with evidence and attacked me. There is no way in hell I'm going to sit here like some damsel in distress. I'm going with him."

Booth kept his mouth shut on the issue. There would be no changing her mind. They both left the office quietly but hastily as they headed for his SUV. Zack was just finishing his search of the vehicle when they showed up. He didn't say anything to either one of them, just gave Booth back his keys before he ran back into the building. Bones looked after him with a questioning look on her face but Booth wasn't going to explain. He didn't know how she would react to the fact that Zack had lost a gift she hadn't even been comfortable buying for him. They climbed into the car and started the engine.

"Why my office?" she asked out of the blue.

He looked at her. "Because you're famous. You've been mentioned in science journals and you're a published author. You've been across the country to solve cases. Talked about in newspapers. Someone has been following your career." He grimaced. "Sounds like you have a stalker."

"Or an over obsessed fan," she said.

"That would make him a stalker, Bones," Booth said as they pulled into traffic.


	22. Walking in my Shoes

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-two: Walking in My Shoes**

The first two families they visited didn't know anything that would be helpful. They didn't have any family members living in the area or know of anyone that would be willing to attack a cop and a woman. Booth suggested they stop to have lunch when it rolled around to one in the afternoon but Bones said that they could eat later. She wanted to talk to the last family. Their daughter had gone missing a few months ago and was a nearly perfect fit to the sketch that Angela had done up. But when they got to the house they found it was for sale and empty. The family had moved on sometime ago according to one of the neighbors. The news only upset Bones. She wanted to find the answers that were needed to close the case. While they were driving to the nearest restaurant Booth's cell phone began to ring. He answered it. Most of the talking coming from the person on the other end didn't make any sense to him. He kept telling them to slow down and re-explain what they had said. Apparently he was finally able to get what he needed out of them. He hung up the phone and looked at Bones.

"Looks you'll be getting a lot more help on your case," he told her with a small smile. There was a sadness in his eyes.

"Why?" she asked.

"Hodgins ran some fingerprints found in the hotel room through AFIS and got a hit. By some freak coincidence the person who killed Cami was at a police station confessing to the crime," he said to her, his eyes back on the road.

"Just like that he turned himself in?" The tone of her voice pretty much said she didn't believe him.

He shrugged. "Some people can't live with the guilt. My guess is that it was an accident and the guy ran out of fear. Does it really matter why he turned himself in? They're running all the evidence against him to see if his story backs up. Chances are, it will. Now we can all concentrate on your case."

"It's not my case," she said in a slightly mad tone.

He gave her a quick glance. "Bones-"

"I don't care that this guy attacked me, Booth," she said. "I want the justice for that young woman. I want to see him behind bars for killing her and for attacking that officer." No sooner had the words left her mouth then they were both thinking the same thing. She had gotten off lucky with strangulation. If it was indeed the same person that had attacked the cop he could have very well shot her with the stolen gun. "I think he's playing a game with me. He wants me to find him, Booth. If he is a fan, like you think, and has followed my career than he knows what I'm capable of uncovering. He's leaving behind clues. He wants to be caught."

"But we have no idea where that last family moved to," Booth said as he pulled into the parking lot of some restaurant she had never been to.

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way." She refused to give up. She climbed out of the car. "Maybe we need to have your guys go over every thing they have on this missing girl and her family. She could have an estranged brother or something. Someone she owes money to. Someone she angered."

They were standing behind the SUV. He looked at her. "Bones, don't you think that the cops looked into all that when she originally went missing? Look, if there was anything suspicious they would have covered it. Contrary to what some people believe the police do know how to handle crimes. That's what they're trained for."

"We should forget about lunch, go back to the lab and go over the body again," she said with a new vigor in her voice. "With the others on the case there will be news eyes, new presepctive. We might be able to come up with something."

"And what then? You go chasing after the guy that tried to kill you? Have you seen the bruises on your neck lately?" he said a touch harshly.

She frowned at him. "When did you get a bug up your butt?"

He couldn't even be happy that she had used a popular phrase and gotten it right. He walked toward her, closing the distance that was between them. "What's my problem? Try walking in my shoes, Bones," he said, his voice going soft. He backed her into the SUV. "I care about you deeply. I nearly lost you once when that damn maniac thought it would be funny to bury you alive. Last night you could have been killed with me right there and I would have felt like shit. It would have torn me up inside. I don't like watching your run after armed men even though I know you can take care of yourself. You don't know how many times I've seen a good man go down because he thought he could handle the situation." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to see you get seriously hurt. I don't want you to end up like Cami."

She looked him in the eye. He was standing so close to her. She could feel the increase in the pace of her heart and there was a strange heat coursing through her body. the images in her mind nearly knocked her off her feet. She imagined taking him back to her place and having her way with him. she wanted to hold him close and finally let go of the issues she had with men. She wanted to trust Booth with every fiber of her being. The look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

"Booth," she managed to whisper before he leaned in to kiss her. Her mind flew back to the night of their first date. The kisses that night had been wonderful, purely beautiful. There was more to this kiss that they shared in the parking lot. she could feel his body heat, the rhythm of his heart. She reached out to pull him even closer when the sound of a honk startled both of them. They pulled apart from each other. She cleared her throat. "I think we should eat and get back to the lab."

"Yeah, the lab," his voice was thick. She could tell that his mind wasn't on their case anymore. And the last place he wanted to go was the lab.

"Come on, I'm hungry," she smiled as she brushed passed him.

"So am I, but-"

"Just think," she called over her shoulder, "the sooner this gets solved the sooner we have some free time."


	23. Stay and Drown

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-three: Stay and Drown**

Booth got called away in the middle of their lunch. According to his boss something just transpired and it was urgent that Booth be the one to go to the scene of the crime. Needless to say, he wasn't too happy about his lunch being interrupted. On their way Brennan asked if she could be dropped off at the lab. There was work to be done and she wanted to get it done as soon as possible. She didn't like the idea of anyone getting away with crime. Especially toward her. He didn't tell her but he was already planning to leave her behind at the lab. There was no telling what he would come across when he got to the scene. He wasn't about to put her into danger when she wasn't needed. He dropped her off in front of the Jeffersonian and waited until she was inside the front door before pulling away. It was something he didn't usually do. But Brennan wasn't usually in trouble.

His boss had given him instructions to a place along the docks and the drive was going to be a long one. He turned up the radio and listened to the weather report. More rain was on the way. He could see the dark clouds looming on the horizon. Spring always brought loads of rain. He liked the sunny days. Though he really couldn't complain, at least it wasn't winter anymore. Chasing after bad guys on days when the temperature dropped below zero was not really his idea of fun.

It took him about an hour or two to get where he was going. There were other cars around that had government plates. Why they had to call him out was beyond him. He clearly wasn't the only agent on the scene. So why was it important that he be here?

An agent he didn't recognize came jogging up to him. "Agent Booth, I presume?" the man asked.

"Yes?"

"Agent Henderson," the man introduced himself. "I hear that the big guy ordered you out here. I got left behind by the others. They wondered over to some dinner, told me to watch for you and show you the crime scene."

"Rookie?" Booth asked him as they began to walk toward the docks.

Agent Henderson smiled somewhat shyly. "Yeah."

"So why is it so important that I be here?" he asked the guy as they walked along. The wind was beginning to pick up. The storm was closer. The clouds were beginning to block out the sun.

"Well, I guess the message that was left behind was something pertaining to you, or so the others said," Agent Henderson explained.

By now they were walking along the wooden dock, the wood creaking under their feet. The water below was twisting and raging like a mad sea as the storm drew ever closer. A low rumble of thunder crossed the sky. There was a momentary flash from a bolt of lightning. Booth got a chill as they walked further out onto the dock. He couldn't help looking back. Something didn't feel right. He didn't want to be out on these turbulent waters when a storm blew in. Lightning and water weren't exactly the best pairing. He thought about Bones and how she was safely locked away in the Jeffersonian. He wished he was there with her.

"It's over here," Agent Henderson said, jogging a few feet in front of Booth.

For some reason an explainable urge to call the rookie agent back hit Booth full force and he opened his mouth to yell. But his words were cut off by the sound of gunfire. He watched as the rookie agent fell to the dock in a crumbled heap. Booth pulled his gun from the holster and looked around. By now the wind was whipping around him in full force. The rain was starting to fall. In a few minutes he would be soaked by a torrential downpour. He could tell from the ugly look of the clouds that they were in for one hell of a storm. He couldn't see anyone back on shore and standing on the dock made him an easy target. He ran toward Agent Henderson who was moaning in pain. Pulling out his cell phone he fell beside the other guy and started yelling for help. Hadn't Henderson told him that other agents were at a dinner just a little way off? Why had they left the crime scene?

The bullet had torn through Henderson's body above his left hip. The old wood of the dock was quickly soaking up the blood that seeped from the wound. Booth stayed low and kept checking the shore for any sign of movement but there wasn't any. The thunder above drowned out any other noises.

Henderson pulled on his sleeve. "Look," he said pointing to his other side. "Before the rain washes it away."

Booth, staying low, crossed to the other side of the fallen agent. There, scrawled on the dock in what was obviously blood was a message to him. The rain was beginning to wash it away but what he could make out of it wasn't nice. There was a threat to him and Bones. Now he was truly happy that he had left her back at the Jeffersonian. Only, he wished he was back there with her to make sure she was okay. The sky filled with another clap of thunder. The lightning flashed. The rain began to fall in heavier sheets. Fully soaked he turned his attention back to Henderson. Neither one of them was paying attention to what was going on back at shore. The sound of the thunder had hidden the sounds of a new more imminent danger.

"Oh, shit," mumbled Henderson when he turned his eyes back to the shore. Booth followed his gaze. The end of the dock was engulfed in flames. The falling rain wasn't enough to put out the angry flames that fed hungrily on the old dried wood. He could see other agents standing on the shore now screaming words that were lost to the storm and waving their arms. Booth looked down at Henderson who looked like he was about to fall apart. There was only one way out of their situation. He looked down at the sea below them as it tossed and turned, crashing against the dock and the shore. They would have to make a jump for it and pray that they made it safely back to shore.

"Listen to me," he yelled at Henderson to be heard over the raging storm. "We're going to have to go swimming."

Henderson shook his head frantically. "I can't man, I won't make it."

"You have to try. Something tells me it's the only way we're getting out of here," Booth shouted. He grabbed the other agent who yelled out in pain. Booth did feel bad for him but there was no way he was going to let them both burn up. not here. Not now. not when he knew that Bones was waiting for him. he wouldn't let her down. "Just hold onto me. I won't let you guy. I swear on the love of my life. I won't let you go."

Henderson wrapped his arms around Booth's midsection. He held as tightly as he could but the pain in his side was like a raging fire. The salt of the ocean below was going to sting as it washed into the open wound but at least it would help clean it. by now they could feel the heat of the fire as it crept ever closer. Other agents were wading into the water as they realized what Booth was planning to do.

"Here goes nothing," he yelled over his shoulder to Henderson before jumping from the burning dock into the stormy waters below.


	24. Quicksand

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-four: Quicksand**

The agents back on shore pulled them from the frothy waters dragging both of them onto the sandy and rocky ground. Henderson had blacked out from loss of blood or possibly out of sheer fear of what could happen. Booth didn't really want to know. He was cold, soaked to the bone, and shivering. His gasped for air to fill his lungs with oxygen as he lay on the ground. The others were more concerned with Henderson. As he lay there he thought about Bones and what she was doing back at the Jeffersonian. She had no idea what was going on. She was oblivious to the fact that he had nearly drowned. Then a new thought hit him and he began to laugh. Hadn't he told her a few hours before that he didn't want her to get hurt, that he had seen some good men go down? His fit of laughter quickly turned into a spasm of coughs that left him gasping for oxygen once again.

Eventually, as the storm began to ease, he heard the sound of sirens. The ambulances had arrived. Agent Henderson was carried back to the waiting vehicle. An agent that Booth had seen in passing back at the Federal Building helped him to his feet. The guy was talking to him but the words didn't really register. Booth wanted to get back to Bones. He wanted to take that last leap of faith and let her know how he felt. He wanted to know where they stood. In less than two days both of them had nearly been killed. There wasn't time to play games and dance around his feelings. He had to tell her. He would tell her. The agent helping him along sat him in the back of an ambulance. Booth was happy to be out of the rain. But not happy about having the paramedic paw over him checking to make sure he was okay. They wrapped a blanket around his shoulders as another agent came strolling up. He was accompanied by a uniformed officer and younger male, perhaps mid-twenties, in handcuffs.

"Excuse me, Agent Booth," the agent addressed him. "I believe this guy has something to tell you."

Booth concentrated on the man in the handcuffs. He fidgeted under the scrutiny of Booth's gaze. The uniformed office gave him a little shove. "I….I'm sorry," he stammered.

"Sorry for what?" Booth asked, happy that his teeth didn't chatter though he was shivering.

"Everything," the man said. Then it all came out in a rush. "I didn't mean for any of it to happen, sir. I just wanted to make it into Temperance's next book. I wanted to be the inspiration behind her next novel. So I started following her and I thought about ways I could spark her imagination. I stole the body of the girl from a medical school that my cousin is a janitor at. I didn't mean to hurt the cop but he stumbled across the scene and I panicked so I jumped him. He fought back and I hit him on the head with the butt of his own gun."

"Which you than took with you because your fingerprints were on it," Booth interrupted, putting a piece of the puzzle together.

"Yeah," the man said, his head hanging down. "I knew from her books that she would run through the missing person's files and I was afraid she might stumble across the stolen body. So I broke into her office and stole the folder. I never expected her to come in at the moment. I didn't even know she was still there."

"Why did you attack her?" Booth asked, trying to keep his anger under wraps.

"Impulse," the man replied, looking up at Booth again. "I could tell that she was uncomfortable, that she knew someone was in her office. I figured it was the only way I would get out. I didn't mean to hurt her. Honest. I love her work. And I admit, I got paranoid. I kept seeing these guys in suits and thought that they were after me. So I had to make it look like someone else had done. That's why I wrote that message out there on the dock."

"Who's blood?"

The guy shrugged. "I got it from a butcher's shop. The guy didn't ask any questions. He just gave it to me."

Booth shrugged off the blanket and even at the protests of the paramedic climbed out of the ambulance. "Why did you shoot Agent Henderson?" Booth yelled. So much for keeping his anger under wrap. "You shot an innocent man. A Federal agent."

The guy actually began to cry, tears running down his face and mixing with the lingering rain. "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to scare you guys. I didn't think anyone would get hurt. But the wind…"

"And the fire?"

"It was the lightning, man," the guy protested. "It struck the dock and started the fire. I swear, it wasn't me." The guy was pleading with his eyes for Booth to believe him.

The agent spoke up. "We can have the forensic team out here. I'm pretty sure they can tell us whether or not it was lightning or arson."

"Good, do that. Meanwhile, take this guy to central booking. Give a polygraph test, make sure what he says is true," ordered Booth.

"Where are you going?" the paramedic yelled after him as Booth began to stroll back toward the parking lot and his waiting SUV. "Sir, I highly recommend you go to the hospital and get checked out."

"I have something more important to do," he yelled over his shoulder. As he left the scene behind he began to pick up his pace. He wanted to rush back to the city and wrap his arms around Bones. He wanted to hold her close and never let her go. There were so many things that he had to tell her and he was finally going to do it. There wouldn't be anymore waiting, no more joking about dates and making promises to himself that never got fulfilled. The near death experience was just what he needed to shove him in the right direction.

Climbing behind the wheel of his SUV he turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life. He turned the heater on in hopes to fight away the chill that had crept over him. He fished his cell phone from his pocket but the water had done its damage. He would have to get a new one tomorrow. At the moment he had a long drive ahead of him. Pulling from the parking lot he decided to turn on his dashboard siren. After all, this was an emergency. An emergency of the heart.


	25. Tip

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-five: Tip**

The trip back to the Jeffersonian wasn't nearly as long as it had been on his way out. He breezed through the traffic as the storm dwindled into a sprinkle and then vanished, leaving behind a cloudy sky that was darkening as night fell. He pulled up in front of the Jeffersonian sometime after six. Chances were no one was about anymore. They had all probably gone home for the evening. But he had to try. He left the SUV idling in the first parking spot he could find. He didn't even care if someone stole it. He was a man on a mission.

He must have looked a sight as he ran up the stairs toward the front door. His hair was matted down and his still wet clothes clung to his body in an unflattering way. He rushed through the hallways, ignoring the glances he was getting from the few remaining people. When he stepped into the main room he heard the laughter of Angela and the giggling of Zack. Both of which was quickly followed by the voice of a none too happy Hodgins. They were up to their old tricks. By now word had probably gotten back to them about the case being solved. They would finish it up tomorrow with the last ring of tests to confirm that the story was true.

"Hey," he yelled as he stood outside the security gates. "Hey, guys."

"What do you want, Booth?" Angela asked as she rounded a corner. Her voice trailed off as she laid eyes on him. He looked terrible and there were blood stains on his white dress shirt. Stains that even the ocean couldn't wash away. "Oh my god, what happened to you?" She rushed toward him.

The sound of her voice brought the other two running to see what the problem was. "Good lord, don't tell me you got stuck in that storm, man," Hodgins stated.

"Where is Bones?" was all that Booth wanted to know. "I need to talk to her. Where is she?"

"She went home," Angela told him. She was looking him over to see if he was hurt already.

"You can stop that," he told her. "The paramedic already gave me a clean bill of health."

"But the blood..." Zack pointed out.

Booth looked down at his shirt. "It's not mine.

"Booth, what happened?" Angela asked. She was now standing beside him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Not time to explain. I need to talk with Brennan," he told them.

Hodgins came walking down the stairs, his hands in his pockets. "We told you she went home. When Dr Goodman got the news that someone had confessed to the crime he told us. She went home right away, which is a little odd when you think about. We stayed behind to finish a few things up since Angela and I won't be in tomorrow. Wedding planning stuff."

Booth tried in vain not to roll his eyes. He couldn't wait until the talk of their wedding was over. And at the moment, he just wanted to be holding Brennan. He fished his car keys out of his pocket. "Than I guess I'll head over to her place."

"Wedding," Zack muttered to himself. He did a little jump as a smile spread across his face. "I remember when I put my necklace. I shoved it into the glove compartment in your car, Hodgins. I told myself that it was the best way to remember where it was. I could have left it in the backseat but with my luck it would have fallen onto the floor or between the cushions."

"You've been bothering the hell out of me because you put the damn thing in the glove compartment?" Hodgins retorted it. His voice was back to that unhappy sounding tone that it had been when Booth showed up.

"Look guys, I think I'm going to go," Booth said to them though he wasn't sure they heard him. Zack was trying to explain things to Hodgins who wasn't look at all happy. Angela had joined them in hopes that she could keep the two of them from doing something they would regret. Booth looked around the place before turning to leave. Outside his SUV was still sitting in its spot, the engine still idling. He ran toward it, climbing behind the wheel. Brennan's place was only twenty minutes away. He could make it there in less if he used the siren. Only this time he didn't think he would actually be able to get away with it. As he spied his cell phone in the passenger seat where he had thrown it he wished he could call her. He couldn't wait to hear her voice, to look into her beautiful eyes. He smiled. He was head over heels in love with her and he hoped that she felt the same way. And if she didn't, he hoped that he could convince her that it was right. He knew about her trust issues. He very well couldn't blame her for it. But maybe, just maybe, he could help put some faith back into her soul and some love in her heart. He burned rubber as he tore out of the parking spot and joined the flow of traffic. He wanted to get to her place before he lost his nerve.


	26. Awake and Dreaming

**Title: ** Amongst the Gravestones

**Disclaimer: **Language, violence; angst possible.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-six: Awake and Dreaming**

Booth raced up the stairs taking them two at a time until he reached Brennan's floor. He ran toward her door not caring in the least if he looked like a madman. He was a man on a mission. With luck the door to Brennan's apartment was unlocked. He thought that was a little odd for a woman who had recently been attacked but didn't think too much of it. He charged into her apartment. The main room was empty. There was a glass of water on the coffee table and a science journal on the couch. Her purse was on the small table by the door. She was definitely home.

"Bones?" he called out, looking for her. "Bones, where are you?" He slipped out of his shoes so that he wouldn't track mud or sand across her clean floor. He hadn't come here to make a mess of her apartment.

"Booth?" She came walking down the hallway. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He looked at her. Her hair was wet from a recent shower. She was wearing a loose fitting T-shirt and a pair of shorts. He smiled as he noticed that her socks were a shade of shamrock green. He never knew she had it in her. She looked absolutely beautiful to him. He stood there, studying her. The way her semi-wet hair hung around her face. The sparkle in her questioning eyes. The way that the shorts showed off her legs.

"You're all wet. What happened to you?" she asked him. When she didn't get a response she walked toward him. She came to stop right in front of him. He could still smell the shampoo in her hair, the body wash on her skin. "Booth? Stop staring at me. You're beginning to freak me out."

He pulled her into an embrace much against her own will. Apparently hugging a somewhat wet guy wasn't her idea of romantic. He loosened his grip a fraction of an inch before bringing his lips to hers. This kiss was their best one yet. He placed his hands on her hips before snaking his way up the back of her T-shirt. He was happy to see that she wasn't resisting him. In fact, she seemed to be returning the desire and want that he felt in his heart. He left a trail of kisses from her lips over her chin and down the side of her neck. She clung to his damp form as though he were the only thing keeping her afloat.

"Booth, we can't," she said in a raspy voice. His heart stop beating for a fraction of a second as the words registered in his fogged mind. But she surprised him with what she said next. "Not here. It wouldn't be appropriate."

"The bedroom?" He half asked, half hoped.

She freed herself from his embrace before grasping him firmly by the hand and leading him to the bedroom. He went willingly. "You know, I've been wanting this for a long time, Bones."

"Deep down, I've been wanting it too. I was just too afraid that it would hurt too much if I fell in love with you and you left," she told him, baring a tiny piece of her soul to him.

"I'm not going to leave you," he said to her, pushing her onto the bed. He kissed her again. "Never would I leave you."

Later that night she woke for some unknown reason. Booth was sleeping soundly beside her, their legs intertwined under the covers. For the first time in a long time she felt whole, she felt complete. She felt love. As she stared at Booth she could see Angela jumping up and down freaking out at the news of them finally confessing how they felt to each other. Maybe she could talk Booth into keeping their relationship a secret for a while. She didn't want to jinx them. She also didn't want to take away any of the limelight from Angela and her wedding. After all, a wedding was a big day for any woman. What if her and Booth…? Would they ever take that walk down the aisle? She smiled. For now she would have to settle for learning to trust him and love him the way she needed to. The way she was meant to. She turned on her side, her back to Booth.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his warm body. "Were you watching me sleep?" he whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "Guilty."

He planted a kiss on the back of her neck that sent shivers down her spine. "I love you, Bones."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Booth-"

"Shhh," he placed a finger on her lips. "I know that you have your issues to get through and you may not be ready to completely trust me. I can wait, Bones. I can wait until you're completely comfortable to say those three words. I'll wait until the end of time to hear it."

"Booth, I love you," she whispered.

He kissed her, feeling himself getting aroused again. He liked being in her bed. He liked kissing her. He liked knowing that she loved him, that she felt the same way that he did. It was a feeling that he never wanted to end.


End file.
